STUDIO CITY : Residents Address Ventura Blvd. Plan

At a community meeting this week on a proposed landscape plan for Ventura Boulevard, architects struggled to get residents to address aesthetic ideas, but residents made it clear they were more interested in practical issues.

“Some people did say . . . they felt comfortable with the direction that we are going toward, but they were much more concerned with who was going to pay for it, that parking be added, and they were determined that we not widen the streets,” said Andrew Sussman, one of the volunteer architects who helped draw up the proposed plan.

“There were several people who remarked that it was all well and good to look at doing different things with trees and the intersections, but what were we going to do about parking?” said Sondra Frohlich, a member of the residents committee that worked with the architects on the proposal.

Neon palm sculptures, bougainvillea-covered shade canopies and a new movie theater were among the suggested improvements that architects proposed Wednesday night.

Alfredo Annino, who owns both property and businesses along the boulevard, said the evening provided the public with an introduction to some landscaping concepts, and he believed the architects and residents would eventually be able to agree on a plan.

“I like the idea of more greenery and more shade. I love the idea of more parking,” Annino said.