Bradley Aide Owns Land : Panel Halves Encino Apartment Project

A key Los Angeles City Council committee Tuesday overruled the Planning Commission and rejected a zoning change that would have allowed a controversial Encino apartment project on land owned by a chief aide to Mayor Tom Bradley.

The council’s Planning and Environment Committee voted 3 to 0 to reduce by about half the number of apartments sought by Doris (Dodo) Meyer for six acres on White Oak Avenue between the Ventura Freeway and Ventura Boulevard.

The action was an expensive defeat for Meyer, who, with her husband, Stanley, had negotiated to sell the land to an apartment developer with the price dependent upon the number of rental units allowed. Title to the land is in escrow.

Zoning sought by Meyer, who is Bradley’s chief aide in the San Fernando Valley, would have allowed up to 215 units. The density approved Tuesday by the committee will allow 96, with another 24 units possible as a density bonus if the developer is willing to reserve them for tenants of low-to-moderate income.

The lower density was demanded by Encino homeowners and City Councilman Marvin Braude.

“It would not make any sense to go beyond 96 units,” Braude, who represents the area, told committee members. He said that number of units was approved by the city 10 years ago, and traffic and crowding in the Encino area have increased since then.

Committee members Hal Bernson, Michael Woo and Ruth Galanter voted with little discussion. Their recommendation will be forwarded to the whole council for review and ratification.

‘I Won’t Fight It’

Donald Cunningham, a land-use consultant working for Meyer, said he doubts that she will contest the panel’s decision. “I won’t fight it before the council,” he said. “The Meyers have to decide the path they want to take.”

Typically, Cunningham said, the full council “automatically” goes along with recommendations when the local councilman and a council committee agree.

Cunningham said it will be up to developer Jay Wilton to determine whether to proceed with building apartments on the land, known to Encino residents as Four Oaks Farm. Wilton heads GBW Properties, which recently started an apartment project on Chalk Hill in Woodland Hills.

Meyer, who has avoided personal involvement in the zoning dispute because of her position, was not present for the hearing and could not be reached afterward for comment. Cunningham said Meyer’s steadfast refusal to argue on her own behalf probably “hurt her case.”

Encino residents who opposed the large project pledged to defeat any attempt to obtain additional units for the site.

“Us going for 96 units represents a major compromise,” Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, told Cunningham. “Don’t press your luck and try for a density bonus, even if you have a legal right for it.”

Said homeowner Joel Goldman: “It’s not over until it’s over. But maybe you can fight City Hall.”