City Council Sets Guidelines for Residential Child-Care Centers

In response to an ongoing battle over a Northridge child-care center, city officials Wednesday unveiled a set of criteria for residential child-care centers with more than 12 children.

City officials hope that the guidelines will make it easier to open child-care facilities in residential areas to meet the growing demand for inexpensive care in Los Angeles.

Under state law, a public hearing and a special permit are required to open a child-care center with more than 12 children in a single-family home.

In the past, city officials have issued permits based primarily on neighborhood support or opposition, instead of considering such criteria as parking and noise.

On average, the city gets about 12 to 18 applications annually for residential child-care centers with more than 12 children. About half of the applications are rejected.

“This will help us make good, sound decisions rather than being torn by neighbors who are against such projects,” said Councilwoman Laura Chick, who called for the guidelines after she locked horns with Councilman Hal Bernson over a child-care center two years ago.

Bernson agreed that the guidelines could help eliminate disputes over future centers. “Generally, these guidelines are good,” he said.

In June 1994, Chick and Bernson clashed after Bernson opposed a proposed 36-child care center in Northridge that neighbors were fighting.

Although the proposed center was in Bernson’s northwest San Fernando Valley district and he headed the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, Chick rallied support among the council members because of the need for child-care facilities in the city.

Ultimately, the council voted to allow the center to serve 24 children. But afterward, Chick and Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg said the case demonstrated how difficult the city’s process makes it for child-care providers to operate in residential areas.

To reduce such disputes in the future, Chick proposed that city planning officials and child-care experts devise a set of criteria to help decision makers decide on such residential centers.

Among the criteria are requirements that:

* The building be compatible with adjacent homes.

* Fences and walls be at least six feet high to protect children and reduce noise.

* Passenger loading and unloading must not cause traffic jams.

* Adequate parking be provided for the center.

* Limits be placed on outdoor play and noise.

Chick said she would have preferred making the criteria mandatory so that child-care providers could automatically get a permit if they can meet all the requirements.

But she said the guidelines are only advisory because city officials want to retain the power to approve or reject centers based on other issues.

“This council is not comfortable giving up any of its discretionary authority,” she said.