Sherman Oaks : Changes Proposed on Busy Thoroughfares

Los Angeles city planners unveiled a proposal to revamp a blueprint for future growth in Sherman Oaks at a meeting with residents this week.

The Planning Department is proposing changes to the Sherman Oaks Community Plan that call for increased commercial development along Van Nuys and Sepulveda boulevards from the Ventura Freeway to Ventura Boulevard. The current plan is more than 20 years old and must be updated, planners said.

The meeting--which was attended by residents, a representative from City Councilman Mike Feuer’s office and city planners--was held Wednesday night at the home of Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

Close expressed concern about the department’s ideas, saying that additional commercial development along Van Nuys and Sepulveda would exacerbate existing traffic problems on those streets. He said the department’s draft plan would rezone some areas currently zoned for single-family homes to multifamily homes--an idea that he opposes.

The homeowners group has formed a committee to work with the Planning Department on the community plan, Close said. The city is expected to hold public hearings this spring.