Fate of controversial Northridge elder care project weighed

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A Los Angeles city zoning administrator said he would continue to receive comments through Wednesday on a controversial 83,000-square-foot, three-story elder care project before making a decision on whether to approve the plan.

Associate zoning administrator Fernando Tovar said it would take at least another two weeks to review the “hundreds” of remarks he has so far received about the 162-bed home proposed for 2.3 acres at Parthenia Street and Shoshone Avenue in the Sherwood Forest community of southern Northridge.

The project has spawned fierce opposition from residents who argue that the structure would be incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood in terms of scale, size and architectural design. They worry about increased traffic and noise and reject the argument that there is a dearth of this type of senior housing in the community.

But representatives for Fred Selan, a longtime community resident who is applying for a permit to build the facility, insisted the home for residents 75 years and older was critical given L.A. County’s rapidly aging population. The structure would be designed to blend with the environment, parking would be ample and deliveries regulated, they said. At a public hearing earlier this month, Tovar said he would consult with transportation officials to better understand the area’s traffic pattern and scrutinize “the issue of compatibility” before ruling on the project. His decision can be appealed to the local North Valley Area Planning Commission.

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-- Ann M. Simmons