Picus Bill Seeks to Curtail Traffic at Warner Center

Legislation aimed at reducing the impact on traffic of further development in the Warner Center area was introduced Tuesday by City Councilwoman Joy Picus.

Picus, who represents the West San Fernando Valley, asked the Los Angeles City Council to prepare a transportation improvement plan for the area. She also proposed that developers of projects in and around Warner Center be required to pay a fee to finance the improvements, which could range from shuttle buses to the widening of roads.

Her motion was routinely referred by the council to its Planning and Environment Committee for a recommendation.

Stopped Short of Construction Limit

Picus, whose district includes Warner Center, stopped short of calling for a limit on construction in the West Valley, as Councilmen Marvin Braude and Joel Wachs have done on heavily congested Ventura Boulevard in Encino, Sherman Oaks and Tarzana in their districts.

“It was felt that it wasn’t necessary,� said Picus’ chief deputy, Sharon Shuster.

Picus said she introduced her motion in response to a unanimous recommendation from the citizens advisory committee she established to review the development plan for Warner Ranch, which takes in Warner Center and the surrounding area between Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Vanowen Street, De Soto Avenue and the Ventura Freeway. The area was once owned by film studio executive Harry Warner.

Norm Emerson, a member of the Warner Center Specific Plan Citizens Advisory Committee, said the transportation improvement plan is needed to “avoid a Century City, Westwood or a downtown� Los Angeles in Warner Ranch.

In her motion, Picus noted that there has been a sharp increase in projects under construction or proposed in the Warner Center. “Severe traffic congestion may occur unless measures are taken to improve the capacity of the transportation system,� she said.

Not Ready to Give Specifics

Picus said she is not ready to propose specific transportation improvements. She said, however, that she expects transportation planners to recommend some of the measures proposed by Council President Pat Russell to deal with traffic congestion in his district, in the neigborhood of Los Angeles International Airport.

Those include requiring developers to mitigate the traffic increases their projects would generate before they receive a building permit. The methods would include car pools, subsidized bus passes and adjustment of work schedules for employees.

Russell also has proposed requiring developers in her district to pay fees, approaching millions of dollars for large projects, to finance improvements such as street widenings. Picus did not propose a specific fee system for Warner Ranch developers.