City Council approves Chatsworth plan change with 75-foot setbacks after heated public comments

The Los Angeles City Council on June 27, 2001, approved a general plan amendment and zone change for a subdivision in Chatsworth, adopting additional mitigation measures including a 75-foot setback for habitable rooms from adjoining horsekeeping properties and a requirement for an equestrian trail on one street.

The move followed a lengthy public hearing in which dozens of residents, business owners and equestrian groups urged the council either to reject the amendment or require stronger protections for horsekeeping and oak trees. Council members adopted the Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) committee report as amended and approved the project by a recorded vote of 12 ayes, thereby overriding the mayoral veto.

Supporters on the council said the amended plan balances limited additional housing with protections for existing horsekeeping uses. "The difference in density is potentially five lots," PLUM committee representative Ms. Misakowski told the council, urging the clarifying mitigation measures to protect adjoining owners. Councilman Hal Bernsen moved adoption of the committee report and the override; members voted to approve the item as amended.

Opponents said the project would change Chatsworth—s rural character, risk tree loss and create public-safety issues for horses on nearby Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Douglas P. Karstens, an attorney representing the Chatsworth Land Preservation Association, said the neighborhood had seen "very little" community outreach and urged council members to vote no or abstain so the item would fail to reach the 10-vote threshold needed to override a mayoral veto. Anne Marie Weiss said residents were "tired and frustrated" and asked the council not to treat the change as a pro forma vote. Susan Eskander, representing Trails and Ranch, urged the council to ensure a bridle trail on Topanga Canyon Boulevard to protect riders.

As approved, the council—s amendments require that any habitable room on newly created lots be set back 75 feet from adjoining properties to the north and west, and require mitigation monitoring measures for oak trees near lot lines. PLUM—s report, as read into the record, also asked that trail provisions be included to facilitate equestrian crossings and to reduce the risk of riders mixing with heavy traffic on state and city roadways.

Council members who supported the motion emphasized that the approved amendments were intended to preserve horsekeeping rights on adjacent parcels. "There is not one single parcel that will lose horsekeeping rights because of this project as it's amended," Councilman Burnson said during debate, citing the committee—s revisions. The council also noted the technical point that the general plan allows only four amendment actions per year and that this action used one of those slots.

The decision adopts the CEQA findings and the mitigation monitoring program described in the committee report and instructs planning staff to ensure the setback and tree-protection measures are implemented through the tract map and building permit reviews. The council indicated the committee—s additional mitigation measures should be enforced at the subdivision/tract-map stage so the protections cannot be easily reversed.

The project record includes extensive public comment and written protest cards filed with the council; the record and the amended committee report will be incorporated into the city's planning case file for the site. The council also directed that the tract map include the clarified mitigation conditions before final map approval.

The item was taken after a public hearing that the council limited to 15 minutes for those in the chamber; remaining written cards were made part of the record.