Guide to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission Collection

Special Collections & Archives

University Library

California State University, Northridge

18111 Nordhoff Street

Northridge, CA 91330-8326

URL: https://library.csun.edu/SCA

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Contributing Institution: Special Collections & Archives

Title: Los Angeles City Planning Commission Collection

Creator: Los Angeles City Planning Commission

Identifier/Call Number: URB.LACPC

Extent: 12.14 linear feet

Date (inclusive): 1953-2000

Abstract: The Los Angeles City Planning Commission Collection (LACPC) documents an important transitional period in the history of urban planning in Los Angeles, which is characterized by a movement from Citywide comprehensive planning toward community and region-based planning over the last half of the twentieth century. The collection includes records and publications which document the day-to-day business of LACPC, city planning in specific geographic areas, communities, or districts, and department's vision of the city as a whole.

Language of Material: English

Historical Note:

In 1910, the Los Angeles City Council established a fifteen member Planning Committee to assist in the development of a plan to improve the City. Ten years later, the Planning Committee was replaced by a fifty-two-member City Planning Commission made up of community leaders from civic groups across Los Angeles and one professional planner, George Gordon Whitnall. In 1925, The City Planning Commission was reduced to five members, who were all professional urban planners, and Whitnall was appointed to lead the department. During the 1940s and 1950s, the Commission developed height, area, density, and parking regulations, and standard zone categories. In the mid-1970s, the Los Angeles City Council adopted the Centers Concept, which envisioned the City as a network of urban centers connected by a rail transit system. In the 1990s, City Council developed a new guiding document called the General Plan Framework, which directs plans for future growth in population, jobs, and housing into neighborhood districts, community centers, regional centers, the downtown center, and industrial districts as part of a strategy for comprehensive planning across the City. In 2000, The City Planning Commission was expanded from five to nine members and seven Area Planning Commissions were established.

Today, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning is charged with the responsibility of preparing, maintaining, and implementing a General Plan for the development of the City of Los Angeles. The General Plan consists of the Framework Element, which provides overall guidance for the future of the city and other citywide elements including state mandated elements such as the Transportation, Housing, Open Space and Land Use Elements. The Citywide General Plan Framework is based on a directed growth strategy which targets residential and commercial growth along boulevards, corridors and clustered development around high activity centers and around transit opportunities.

The Land Use Element of the General Plan is comprised of thirty-five community plans, which depict a range of allowable land uses, unique to individual communities. Community Plans are intended to promote an arrangement of land uses, streets, and services which encourage and contribute to the economic, social and physical health, safety, welfare, and convenience of the people who live and work there. The Planning Department implements the General Plan utilizing a variety of tools through the application of zoning regulations to regulate the use of land in the city.

Scope and Contents

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission Collection (LACPC) documents an important transitional period in the history of urban planning in Los Angeles. The Centers Concept, developed in the late 1960s through the early 1970s designated forty-eight centers within the metropolitan study area, twenty-nine of which were located within the City of Los Angeles, and focused on five basic components: major centers with a high intensity of development and activity; low density suburbs comprised of single family residences and local businesses; open spaces comprised of private and public parks; industrial areas convenient to housing and freight transportation; and, a comprehensive transportation system which included freeways, rapid transit, a region-wide air terminal system, and freight movement and terminal systems. The LACPC Collection includes many documents, publications, reports, correspondence, and other types of records which demonstrate the City's movement toward community-based planning over the last half of the twentieth century. The collection is arranged into three major series: Administrative Files (1968-1995), City of Los Angeles (1963-1996), and Communities and Districts (1953-2000).

Series I, Administrative Files, documents the day-to-day business of the Los Angeles City Planning Department, including department policies and procedures, meeting minutes and notes, correspondence, legislation news, legal documents, reference materials. This series is arranged alphabetically and chronologically within.

Series II, City of Los Angeles, documents the Los Angeles City Planning Department's vision of the city as a whole, and includes: plans, proposals, reports, studies, maps, and informational brochures. This series is arranged into three subseries. Subseries A, General and Proposed Development (1967-1996), documents citywide goals, priorities, and implementation strategies, as part of the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles. Subseries B, Transportation, Land Use, and Environmental Concerns (1968-1996), documents the City's planning process with an emphasis on environmental impact, meeting goals for preserving open space, and providing public recreation opportunities. Subseries C, Infrastructure and Safety (1963-1987), documents the City's development of safety guidelines for fire, earthquake, and flood, standards to alleviate air traffic noise, and recommendations for safeguarding public schools against potential dangers. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically and chronologically within.

Series III, Communities and Districts, documents city planning in specific geographic areas, communities, or districts that fall under the Land Use Elements as organized by the LAPC. This series provides neighborhood level details, policies, and implementation strategies, and includes: plans, proposals, studies, reports, correspondence, memoranda, maps, and other records relevant to neighborhood planning. The series is arranged into five subseries: North San Fernando Valley Area (1965-2000), South San Fernando Valley Area (1970-1995), Central Area (1968-1990), East, West, South, and Harbor Areas (1974-1995), and Out of Area (1953-ca. 1992). Within each subseries materials are arranged alphabetically by title and chronologically within.

Arrangement of Materials:

Series I: Administrative Files, 1968-1995

Series II: City of Los Angeles, 1963-1996

Subseries A: General and Proposed Development, 1967-1996

Subseries B: Transportation, Land Use, and Environmental Concerns, 1968-1996

Subseries C: Infrastructure and Safety, 1963-1987

Series III: Communities and Districts, 1953-2000

Subseries A: North San Fernando Valley Area, 1965-2000

Subseries B: South San Fernando Valley Area, 1970-1995

Subseries C: Central Area, 1968-1990

Subseries D: East, West, South, and Harbor Areas, 1974-1995

Subseries E: Out of Area, 1953-ca. 1992

Conditions Governing Access:

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Accruals:

2005

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Victoria Brinn Feinberg, Tim Dagodag, 09/11/2003.

Preferred Citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materials guide.

Processing Information:

Holli Teltoe, 2016

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Maps

Documents

Photographs

Series I: Administrative Files, 1968-1995

Box 1, Folder 1

California Planning Law and Land-Use Regulations: Planning Law Manual for Planning Commissioners, Members of Local Legislative Bodies and Staff, July 1983

Box 1, Folder 2

Charters and Procedural Guidelines, 1972 June 21-ca. 1986

Box 1, Folder 3

Chatsworth-Porter Ranch Public Hearing

Box 1, Folder 4

Community Planning, 1980-1994 October 4

Box 1, Folder 5

Correspondence and Press Releases, 1987 October 20-1992 August 5

Box 1, Folder 6

Criteria for the Siting of Treatment Technologies for Hazardous Waste Management, 1982 December 17, 1983 January 18

Box 1, Folder 7

Economic Reports and Projections, 1989 February 6-May 1992

Box 1, Folder 8

Federal and State Planning Law, 1964-1977, 1972 February 3-1983

Box 1, Folder 9

Heliport Cases and Hearings, 1977 December 22-1984 March 15

Box 1, Folder 10

Homeowners of Encino vs. City of Los Angeles, 1985 January 2-1985 January 25

Box 1, Folder 11

Inter-Departmental Communication, 1982 February 19-1991 June 11

Box 1, Folder 12

Land Use Litigation News, January 1983-December 1983

Box 1, Folder 13

Land Use Litigation Newsletter, April 1982-December 1982

Box 1, Folder 14

League of California Cities Planning Commissioners Institute, 1983 Department Conference, Monterey, California, Recent Land Use and Development Litigation Since 1981, 1983

Box 1, Folder 15

Legislation Landmark, Howard A. Martin Binder, 1969 May 29-1985 April 10

Box 1, Folder 16

Legislative Digest, 1981 October 14

Box 1, Folder 17

Meeting Agendas, Minutes, and Attachments, 1990 March 14-1995 September 27

Box 1, Folder 18

Meeting Notes, 1989 July 7

Box 1, Folder 19

Minority Contractors, 1987 December 1

Box 1, Folder 20

Newspaper Clippings, 1992 July 9-1992 August 13

Box 1, Folder 21

Partnership Newsletter, June 1980-December 1986

Box 2, Folder 1

Partnership Newsletter, June 1980-December 1985

Box 2, Folder 2

Pride vs. City of Los Angeles and Porter Ranch Development, 1990 August 8-1990 August 27

Box 2, Folder 3

Standard Conditions and Requirements for Commercial and Residential Development, 1968 December 1-1983 January 17

Box 2, Folder 4

State of California Office of Planning and Research, "Legislative Summary, 1982", December 1982

Box 2, Folder 5

Zoning Law, January 1976-1985 September 16

Series II: City of Los Angeles, 1963-1996

Subseries A: General and Proposed Development, 1967-1996

Box 2, Folder 6

Citywide Plan, A Portion of the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1972 August 10-1974 April 3

Box 2, Folder 7

Citywide Planning and Development Division, Citywide Planning Unit, Centers Implementation Project, 1982 March 5

Box 2, Folder 8

Citywide Planning Division Comparative Analysis Draft

Box 2, Folder 9

Concept Los Angeles: The Concept for the Los Angeles General Plan, January 1970

Box 2, Folder 10

Concepts for Los Angeles, Summary, September 1967

Box 2, Folder 11

Goals and Reality, September 1967

Box 2, Folder 12

Goals Discussion Paper: Planning Goals for the Los Angeles Metropolis, June 1967

Box 2, Folder 13

Los Angeles City Planning, Los Angeles City Government 1781-1981, ca. 1981

Box 2, Folder 14

Los Angeles, Goals Program Questionnaire

Box 2, Folder 15

Priority Goals for Los Angeles, September 1969

Box 2, Folder 16

Proposed Citywide Plan Los Angeles, October 1972

Box 2, Folder 17

Southern California Association of Governments, General Plan Framework Program of Implementation Measures: Proposal for Services, 1994 June 3

Box 2, Folder 18

Southern California Association of Governments, General Plan Framework Program of Implementation Measures: Proposal for Services, 1994 June 3

Box 2, Folder 19

Summary Report of the Los Angeles Goals Council, November 1969

Box 16, Folder 1

Concept Los Angeles: The Concept for the Los Angeles General Plan, 1970

Box 16, Folder 2

"Environmental and Public Facilities Maps", 1996 July 1

Box 16, Folder 3

Framework, Draft Citywide General Plan Framework Summary, 1995

Box 16, Folder 4

Preliminary Citywide Plan: A Part of the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles, February 1970

Box 16, Folder 5

Proposed Citywide Plan Los Angeles, October 1972

Folder 1

Concept Los Angeles: The Concept of the Los Angeles General Plan, 1970 August 6-1974 April 3

Folder 2

Cultural and Historical Monuments Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles

Subseries B: Transportation, Land Use, and Environmental Concerns, 1968-1996

Box 3, Folder 1

Citywide General Plan Framework, Draft Environmental Impact Report, Appendices, 1993-1994

Box 3, Folder 2

Citywide General Plan Framework, Draft Environmental Impact Report, Appendices, 1993-1994

Box 3, Folder 3

Citywide General Plan Framework, Draft Environmental Impact Report, Appendices, 1993-1994

Box 3, Folder 4

Highflow Arterials: Location Study for Freeway Congestion Relief, Part I, Preliminary Draft, May 1984

Box 3, Folder 5

Los Angeles River Advisory Committee, 1992 November 9-1994 April 25

Box 3, Folder 6

Los Angeles River Master Plan, Progress Report Draft, August 1993

Box 3, Folder 7

Microcomputer Justification- Land Use/Transportation Planning Projects

Box 3, Folder 8

Open Space Plan, March 1974

Box 3, Folder 9

Proposed 30-Year Integrated Transportation Plan, Draft, 1991 May 29

Box 3, Folder 10

Proposed 30-Year Integrated Transportation Plan, Draft, 1991 May 29

Box 16, Folder 6

Framework, Citywide General Plan Framework, an Element of the General Plan Executive Summary, 1996 December 11

Box 16, Folder 7

Los Angeles International Airport, Interim Plan, an Element of the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1980 July 2-1981 January 12

Box 16, Folder 8

Los Angeles River Advisory Committee

Box 16, Folder 9

Los Angeles River Master Plan, Progress Report Draft, July 1993

Folder 3

Major Equestrian and Hiking Trails Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1968

Folder 4

Open Space Plan, March 1974

Folder 5

Public Recreation Plan, A Portion of the Scenic Systems Element of the Los Angeles General Plan, 1980 October 9

Subseries C: Infrastructure and Safety, 1963-1987

Box 3, Folder 11

Heliport Design Guide: Advisory Circular, 1977 August 22

Box 3, Folder 12

Noise Element, 1975 September 19

Box 3, Folder 13

Seismic Safety Plan: A Portion of the General Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1974 July 3-1975 September 10

Box 16, Folder 10

Noise Element, October 1977

Folder 6

"Chatsworth-Porter Ranch, Citizens Advisory Committees Recommended Plan", April 1987

Folder 7

City Owned Power Transmission Rights-of-Way Development Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1968 October 31-1969 January 2

Folder 8

Drainage Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1968

Folder 9

Fire Protection Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1963

Folder 10

Public Schools Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1968

Folder 11

Water Systems Plan, an Element of the Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles, 1968 August 22-1969 January 14

Series III: Communities and Districts, 1953-2000

Subseries A: North San Fernando Valley Area, 1965-2000

Box 3, Folder 14

Arleta-Pacoima Preliminary Community Plan, Draft, ca. 1970-1979

Box 3, Folder 15