Planning Commission to Reconsider Growth Plans

The Los Angeles Planning Commission rejected guidelines for controlling future growth Thursday, saying more study is needed to determine if the plan would permit too much residential development.

The commission asked Planning Director Con Howe to study several concerns, including whether the plan might allow too much low-income rental housing, said Commissioner Bob Scott.

“There is a concern about the quality of life in Los Angeles and whether it is more important to have a better city than a bigger city,” Scott said. “I am concerned about the densification.”

Under the plan, the city would accommodate 146,400 more residential units through the year 2010, with many of the units to be placed in commercial districts and along transportation corridors.

However, Scott noted that the plan calls for housing to be built along parts of rail corridors that may never be developed, including the shelved subway project across the San Fernando Valley.

“You can’t really build along the dotted lines where no transportation will go,” Scott said.