Designs Sought for Van Nuys Civic Center Office

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to solicit proposals from developers for construction of a private office building in the Van Nuys Civic Center.

The building would be constructed on city land used as a parking lot on the southeast corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Sylvan Street, next to Van Nuys City Hall.

Plans call for the land to be leased to a developer, who in return would construct a 2- to 12-story building and rent space to the city. The building, with a maximum of 326,000 square feet, would also consist of private offices, restaurants, shops, child care center, public auditorium, underground parking and possibly a theater, according to a city Planning Department proposal.

The building is intended to alleviate crowding at Van Nuys City Hall and replace the ramshackle structures that have housed the city Building and Safety Department, Councilman Marvin Braude said.

The unanimous vote instructed several city departments to return to the council with a request for designs and cost estimates from private developers.

As envisioned by city planners in 1958, the development plan for the Van Nuys Civic Center called for construction of a new Van Nuys City Hall. The project was stalled by funding shortages. In 1984, city planners recommended that the city enter into a 50-year lease with a developer who would have to construct the building and rent space to the city.