ST AND SV PLANS / K DISTRICT PROPERTIES / PLAN AMENDMENT

Motion - The horsekeeping tradition of Los Angeles is as old as the City itself. However, that tradition has been under attack in recent decades from a variety of forces. The City's need for housing has resulted in the subdivision of hundreds of horsekeeping properties into smaller lots and the concentration of horse ownership in the San Fernando Valley into a few areas in Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, La Tuna Canyon and Chatsworth. The City created the "K" District in an effort to strengthen the equestrian lifestyle by making it easier to keep horses on selected residential properties. Under the Sunland Tujunga - Lake View Terrace - Shadow Hills - East La Tuna Canyon Community Plan and the Sun Valley - La Tuna Canyon Community Plan, the minimum lot size for "K" District property is 20,000 square feet. But, when such properties are located in hillside areas, the part of a "K" District lot that is actually usable for construction of a house and horsekeeping facilities can be reduced dramatically - to the point where horsekeeping is not possible. The portions of "K" District properties that are usable for horsekeeping facilities are further reduced by the current trend toward construction of large houses. The recent development of a nominally equestrian subdivision in Shadow Hills reveals the complete inadequacy of current "K" District lot-size standards. The project includes 57 lots - each of which is larger than 20,000 square feet - but there is only one property that keeps horses in the entire development. In order to preserve the tradition of horsekeeping in Shadow Hills for generations to come, the City should amend the general plan land use designations for all "K" District properties in the community and take appropriate measures to sustain this essential part of community heritage. THEREFORE MOVE that the Department of City Planning be directed to amend the Sunland Tujunga - Lake View Terrace - Shadow Hills - East La Tuna Canyon Community Plan (ST Plan) and the Sun Valley - La Tuna Canyon Community Plan (SV Plan) to change the land use designation of all "K" District properties in the Shadow Hills community that are currently designated Very Low I Residential to Minimum Residential. For purposes of this motion, the "Shadow Hills community" shall mean the area enclosed within the following boundaries: starting at the intersection of Glenoaks Blvd. and Wentworth Street, northeast along Wentworth Street to the Foothill Freeway, then southeast along the Foothill Freeway to the boundary between the ST Plan and the SV Plan, then west along the boundary of the ST Plan and the SV Plan to Sunland Blvd., then south along Sunland Blvd. to Tuxford Street, then southwest along Tuxford Street to Glenoaks Blvd., then northwest along Glenoaks Blvd. to Wentworth Street. FURTHER MOVE that the Department of City Planning be directed to take appropriate care not to include "K" District properties in the redesignation that would create an unreasonably high number of non-conforming properties. FURTHER MOVE that the Department of City Planning be directed to consider alternative methods - other than the redesignation described herein -- for assuring that new "K" District subdivisions will have adequate building pad areas to accommodate horsekeeping activities.

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