ENCINO : Plans Revealed for Site of ‘Lake Hayvenhurst’

Construction is slated to begin in April on a 93,000-square-foot shopping center at the intersection of Hayvenhurst Avenue and Ventura Boulevard in Encino, a developer announced Thursday.

Encino Market Center will include a Ralph’s supermarket, Barnes & Noble bookstore, Starbuck’s coffeehouse, Blockbuster music store and possibly a Blockbuster video store, said developer Rick Caruso of Caruso Affiliated Holdings.

“We’re going to do this very high-end, using lots of stone and architectural detail,” Caruso said of the planned center. “This is just a great accomplishment on the part of everybody involved.”

He said the center is already 94% leased and is scheduled to be completed by early 1995.

The project, which will be the first to occupy the site since it was excavated to remove contaminated soil left behind by leaking underground gas tanks, sailed through the often-cumbersome city approval process, largely because it was supported by its neighbors.

Not only were neighbors anxious to see the crater known as “Lake Hayvenhurst” filled, but they feared losing Caruso’s comparatively moderate project to larger ones.

“I think this is a model project for developers to look at,” said homeowner activist Gerald Silver, who successfully fought other projects proposed for the site. “This is a guy who came to the community, listened to what we had to say, and had his project approved in literally record time.”

As a condition of approval, Caruso was required by the city Planning Commission to provide 24-hour security at the center and to make street improvements to accommodate increased traffic created by shopping center patrons.