Court Site to Get Closer Scrutiny : North Hollywood: If an environmental study finds no problems, officials are authorized to begin negotiations to buy the land.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday instructed county real estate experts to explore the suitability of a North Hollywood site for a civil courthouse.

A county task force has recommended that the proposed 18-court facility be built on the northeast corner of Magnolia Boulevard and Vineland Avenue. Small commercial businesses currently occupy the site, which is in the North Hollywood redevelopment area.

Without discussion, the board directed county officials to conduct an environmental assessment and to determine whether the property is contaminated by any toxic chemicals. If there are no problems, officials are authorized to begin negotiations to buy the land.

The task force--consisting of court officials, the North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and representatives of Supervisor Mike Antonovich and state Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Tarzana)--selected the site after looking at eight other proposed locations.

At last week’s board meeting, Supervisor Pete Schabarum requested more information about the real estate search. He expressed concern that the county not generate another courthouse controversy, referring to the vocal neighborhood opposition that surfaced when court officials announced plans earlier this year to build a municipal courthouse in Chatsworth.

Antonovich tried to assure Schabarum that there would be no controversy this time because the community has been involved in the process.

All the task force’s meetings during the past several months have been public, he said.

“These discussions have been open to everybody. Everyone was welcome to come,” Antonovich said. “In Chatsworth, this was a sole decision made by the courts.”

In addition, Antonovich said, the Superior Court judges at the North Hollywood facility would only handle lawsuits, not criminal cases, which roused the fears of Chatsworth residents.

County officials estimate that the price tag for the 4.5-acre site and the cost of relocating the small businesses could be up to $11 million, with the entire project costing approximately $40 million.