Council Advisory Panel to Discuss Industrial Blight

Plans to bolster blighted commercial and industrial corridors throughout the northeast Valley will be the topic of an upcoming meeting of the Northeast Valley Project Area Committee, a 16-member elected body that will advise the Los Angeles City Council about proposed Community Redevelopment Agency projects.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at the San Fernando Valley Legal Services building, 13327 Van Nuys Blvd. in Pacoima.

Projects under consideration by the committee include: storefront facade improvements; business expansion, retention and promotion; street lighting, sidewalks and public parks improvements; and assistance for nonprofit organizations that address human needs, said Senior City Planner Bob Fazio.

Committee members are currently reviewing boundary lines and blight conditions and are developing a five-year plan to complete the proposed projects, Fazio said.

The project area spans 6,000 acres in Arleta, Pacoima, Panorama City, North Hills, Sylmar and Sun Valley, all located within City Councilman Richard Alarcon’s 7th Council District.

Establishment of the committee of property owners, business owners, tenants and representatives of community organizations was approved by the City Council in August 1997. Residents of the northeast Valley then voted on the committee members in a special election held in December 1997, Fazio said.