ENCINO — Ali Sadeghi works among the glassy office towers shooting into the sky along Ventura Boulevard. But that doesn't mean he wants to hang out there.
With six lanes of traffic drowning out conversation, no place for sitting and few shops within strolling range, the sidewalk is populated by many more parking meters than people.
"There is no shade here. There are no benches. The street is not telling you that you should stop here and chat," said Sadeghi, a doctor, as he surveyed the parched sidewalk near his office. "I would call it barren."
"Drab," concluded his co-worker, Aaron Yoscovitz. "Very drab."
Not exactly what city planners were going for when they christened this strip near Rubio Avenue a "pedestrian-friendly" area nine years ago.
Now, in an effort to make the San Fernando Valley's main drag less of a drag for people on foot, officials are proposing a modest make-over for the Ventura/Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan, which governs growth along the 17-mile thoroughfare. If approved by the Los Angeles City Council, the change would spruce up the storefronts of businesses that move into five pedestrian-oriented zones.
No more mirrored glass or dark curtains obscuring any glimpse inside buildings: Windows facing the street would have to "afford views" into the businesses (non-reflective glass only). To attract people strolling along the boulevard, doors must open onto the sidewalk, not a rear parking lot.
The changes would only affect new businesses in the 4.6 miles of pedestrian-friendly turf sprinkled from Woodland Hills to Studio City.
But in a concession to property owners, the proposal would loosen other restrictions on the businesses allowed there.
Since the Specific Plan was adopted in 1991, retail businesses have been permitted to set up shop in the pedestrian areas. The stores that generate the most foot traffic--such as bookstores, coffee shops and ice cream parlors--get discounts on development fees charged by the city, said Dick Platkin, a city planner overseeing the area.
The proposed change would slash fees for many more businesses, including nail salons, cellular phone stores, copying services, grocery stores, pharmacies and travel agencies. The City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee unanimously approved the change last week.
