Study Would Focus on Hansen Dam Area

Consultants hired by the city will spend several months examining 500 acres around Hansen Dam, if the proposed $180,000 study is approved Wednesday by the City Council.

The council’s Housing and Community Redevelopment Committee has recommended council approval for the master plan, whose cost would be split evenly between the Department of Water and Power, which operates a steam generating plant on 135 acres, and the Community Redevelopment Agency.

The result of the study is expected in early 1998.

“The intent of the master plan is to create a vision for the area that will promote the economic vitality of the northeast San Fernando Valley,” committee chairman and Councilman Rudy Svorinich wrote in a memo to council.

Holiday Lake at the dam is already undergoing an $11.1-million restoration, with swimming and boating lakes being added to complement the existing equestrian trails and sports complex. The lake is trying to rebound from a bleak period that culminated in its 1982 closure due to flood damage and neglect.

Funding for the CRA’s $90,000 share of the study is included in the agency’s 1997-98 proposed budget that will come before council at an upcoming meeting.

The DWP’s interest in the master plan, according to Svorinich, dovetails with its current restructuring. The department “is looking at its property to determine its long-term use,” the councilman wrote.