ENCINO : Homeowners Appeal Approval of Antenna

A group of Encino homeowners has appealed the Los Angeles City Planning Commission’s decision to allow a cellular phone antenna to exceed height limits atop a Ventura Boulevard office building.

In the second community action since August against Airtouch Cellular’s project, Homeowners of Encino has filed a letter with the Los Angeles City Council that refutes justifications made by the Planning Commission to give the go-ahead to the project at 17547 Ventura Blvd. in Encino.

Airtouch Cellular wants to build a 10-foot antenna on top of the 42-foot-high office building. The Ventura-Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan has imposed 30-foot height requirements for all “new structures or additions or alterations to existing structures” within the corridor.

Stating that the plan, adopted in 1991, was conceived to help beautify Encino, homeowner Gary Davis disputed the Planning Commission’s finding that the antenna project will maintain “a compatible and harmonious relationship between commercial uses and adjacent residential neighborhoods” in the area.

“The antennas and the dishes are the ugliest thing around,” Davis said. “That building is already an eyesore. . . . They tried to justify the project by saying it is not that far off the old (municipal) code, which had height requirements of 42 feet. We’re not interested in the old code; everyone should abide by the new requirements.

“If a building is already over a new height limit,” Davis added, “why have the audacity to go even higher?”

Responding to a suggestion by Davis that the project simply be relocated to a nearby area that is zoned for multi-residential structures, Airtouch Cellular spokeswoman Melissa May said that the homeowners’ protest appeared to be rooted in “NIMBYism” (Not In My Back Yard).

“It’s a shame that a few individuals can attack a level of service in this way,” May said. “This is an important area for us and our service is important to many people in the area.

“After the (Jan. 17 Northridge) earthquake, many people approached me and said, ‘you were our only means of communication during that time.’ Especially in this part of the world, people realize the value of cellular service.”

As a result of the appeal, the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee will conduct a public hearing on the project and make a final recommendation to the full City Council. No hearing date has been set.