Neighborhood Focus of Zoning Dispute

A small Studio City neighborhood is in the middle of a land use dispute involving City Councilman John Ferraro--who wants to impose new limits on development--and the mayor and planning commissioners, who oppose the limits.

The dispute, which has been brewing for several years, is expected to come to a head today when Ferraro asks his Los Angeles City Council colleagues to change the zoning on three blocks of Tujunga Avenue near Valley Spring Lane.

The change would reduce by half the size of homes permitted and drop the height limit from 45 feet to 28 feet--a reduction that landowners on the street say will slash their property values.

“Basically, it’s going to take away our property rights,” said John Corwin, who owns a 50-year-old triplex on Tujunga Avenue, which he was planning to develop into a condominium project. He said the change would kill the project.

The Planning Commission has twice considered Ferraro’s zone change request and twice rejected it because commissioners feared that it would hamper the city’s ability to provide low-income housing, which is usually in high-density zones.

According to City Planner Charlie Rausch, Mayor Richard Riordan has also opposed the zone change because it would leave the area inconsistent with the city’s General Plan, the blueprint for long-term development.

But Ferraro’s planning deputy, Renee Weitzer, defended the councilman’s position, saying the change would make the Tujunga Avenue neighborhood fit in with adjacent blocks that have single-family homes.

She said Ferraro has promised residents in those single-family homes that he would try to adopt building limits to ensure that huge residential projects do not sprout up in the neighborhood.

“As far as John Ferraro goes, he has promised this to many people and he keeps his promises,” Weitzer said.

The dispute dates back nearly seven years, when the city Planning Department decided to reduce the density on the entire stretch of Tujunga between Moorpark Street and Ventura Boulevard. But, because of an error, three blocks near Valley Spring Lane were not included in the zone change. Weitzer said Ferraro simply wants to correct that error.

Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Assn., has sided with Ferraro, saying the change is needed to reduce density and keep the neighborhood consistent.

“We are behind it,” he said. “Basically, it comes down to whether one block should be allowed to have high density.”