WOODLAND HILLS : Zoning Change OKd for Pierce College

Overriding an objection from a Pierce College faculty committee, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission on Thursday changed the zoning on half of the campus to prevent agricultural fields from someday sprouting high-rise commercial buildings.

The change preserves 218 acres of the campus as open space, a zoning category only slightly more restrictive than the land’s current agricultural designation. Much of the land at the southeast corner of DeSoto Avenue and Victory Boulevard is currently farmed, and that use would be allowed to continue.

Regardless of the zoning, Pierce can develop education facilities, such as classrooms or laboratories, on the property. The new zoning would apply only if the land were sold or leased.

Jim Dawson, planning deputy for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joy Picus, said the intent of the zone change is to send a “hands-off” message to developers who might want to build on the land.