Zoning Change Provides Boost for NoHo : Emergence of the arts district is one of the recent bright developments in the Valley

A city government can hardly summon an artistic renaissance from the vasty deep, but at least it can zone for one.

That is what the Los Angeles City Council has done for the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood. Thanks to a change proposed by Councilman John Ferraro, artists may live and work in their same space without going through a long and expensive permit process. They waste a moment of California sunshine by commuting to their studios.

Behind the move lies the development of the theater district, whose success was symbolized a few days ago by the third annual NoHo Performing Arts Festival. The area has a growing number of theaters, coffeehouses and restaurants. Perhaps galleries and studios will now join them.

Some artists already have been drawn to NoHo by loft and ware-house-type space made vacant by the lagging economy. Ferraro’s bill was supported by artists, neighbors, government and especially landlords.

Of course, supply and demand will ultimately determine how many artists move to NoHo. But the Community Redevelopment Agency has budgeted $400,000 for the coming fiscal year to give the movement a boost with remodeling loans.

There are some clouds on the horizon. The 1994 earthquake wrecked many inhabitable buildings. Also, if city enforcement is lax, everyone from yuppies to garment workers could end up in space designated for artists. More positively, economic recovery could price artists out of the neighborhood. To a struggling artist, theaters, coffeehouses and other uplifting venues don’t always spell progress; they spell high rent.

Even with the clouds and caveats, the ordinance is welcome. The emergence of NoHo is one of the bright developments in the Valley in the 1990s, and the council’s action, an official invitation to join the party, should help it along.