West Hills Neighborhood Council

Zoning and Planning in our West Hills

The West Hills Neighborhood Council Zoning & Planning Committee is actively engaged in several projects, including:

1. Proposed homes at 23200 Sherman Way and 7000 Woodlake Ave. These vacant lots are on the south side of Sherman Way, adjacent to the historic Canoga Mission Gallery/Hidden Chateau & Gardens. The properties were owned previously by the silent film actor Frances Lederer and his wife, Marion.

In 2014-2015, the current owners, Sherman Way-West Hills Partners LLC, proposed building an eldercare facility and senior apartments on the land. The city’s Planning Department was going to allow the development until neighbors successfully sued the city to reverse its approval.

The owners now propose a small-lot subdivision consisting for 36 houses at 23200 Sherman Way and 15 houses at 7000 Woodlake Ave.

The neighbors still do not feel a small-lot subdivision was appropriate to the area due to density, lot size and added traffic. They submitted an alternative proposal of 31 and 12 homes. It seems the development is on hold, for now.

The WHNC’s Zoning & Planning Committee’s role has been to provide a forum for discussion and possible resolution between neighbors and the property’s developers. 

2.  Bell Canyon Road near Overland Drive, west of Valley Circle. A developer wants to build 46 homes above Bell Canyon Road, just east of the Bell Canyon community. Most of the property is on unincorporated Los Angeles County territory, though a proposed access road cuts through city land within the WHNC’s jurisdiction. 

At recent meetings of the WHNC’s Zoning & Planning Committee, neighbors in Bell Canyon (located in Ventura County) and the Estate Collection (in West Hills) expressed strong opposition to anything being built on this hillside.  There is no name for the proposed project at this time.

3. Proposed revisions to city zoning and planning codes. Members of the WHNC’s Zoning & Planning Committee have expressed the opinion that “one size fits all” codes for the whole city of Los Angeles may not work in all areas and should be adaptable according to local environments.

4. Infill developments. West Hills is a highly desirable place to live and the shortage of “raw” land to develop is pushing developers to do infill construction. 
With the help of committee co-chair Charlene Rothstein and all of the committee members, we are working hard to maintain compatibility of design while dealing with traffic congestion and protecting quality of life for residents of our community.

— Bill Rose, Co-Chair, WHNC Zoning & Planning Committee
For more information on the Zoning & Planning Committee, click here