ENCINO : Shopping Center Near Final Approval

A plan to build a 93,000-square-foot shopping center on top of an excavated site dubbed “Lake Hayvenhurst” by its Encino neighbors is set to go before the Los Angeles Planning Commission today for final approval.

The project, which has won the support of many residents in the area, requires several exceptions to a set of local zoning ordinances known as the Ventura Boulevard Specific Plan.

For example, the developer has asked to leave a three-foot buffer between the rear of the center and neighboring homes along Moorpark Street instead of the required 10 feet.

Plans for the proposed 24-hour supermarket, a bookstore and other retail outlets were conditionally approved by a city zoning administrator last month. A staff report submitted to the Planning Commission also recommends approval of the project.