Controls Extended for Panorama City

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend for another year land-use controls designed to stop overdevelopment of the commercial core of Panorama City.

The controls prohibit the floor space of any development from exceeding by 1 1/2 times the size of the lot.

The measure introduced by Councilman Ernani Bernardi and in effect since 1988 puts a freeze on commercial development projects in the area until a specific plan can be drafted, said David Mays, Bernardi’s chief deputy. The controls were specifically sought as a way to prevent redevelopment of the former Robinson’s department store property.

With the prospect that a new use might be sought soon for the General Motors plant in Van Nuys, the need for such strict planning controls on the Panorama City commercial corridor--which includes the plant site--is even more important, Mays said.