RESEDA : Planners to Consider Longer Moratorium

A moratorium that blocks development of new automotive shops and other types of businesses in Reseda’s aging shopping district could be extended into its fifth year today, under a proposal scheduled for consideration by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

If approved, the moratorium--as it has in the past--would affect businesses along Sherman Way between Lindley and Wilbur avenues, and along Reseda Boulevard between Kittridge and Saticoy streets.

Originally, it was designed as a temporary fix to control growth while the city was in the process of developing a long-term plan for the area, said Ken Bernstein, planning deputy for City Councilwoman Laura Chick. But the interim measure has been extended three times since 1988, while city officials haggled over details in the long-term plan for the area.

The moratorium was allowed to expire this year, but Chick wants it resurrected. This time, Bernstein said, it really is meant to be a short-term solution.

Chick plans one last six-month extension of the moratorium to regulate growth in Reseda while the final touches are being put on the long-term plan, known in planning jargon as a “Specific Plan,” he said.