The Green Thumb growing grounds on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park could give way to 269 for-sale homes. Borstein Enterprises has filed plans for Topanga Grounds, a redevelopment that would also remove four houses and a 1959 church recognized by SurveyLA for its Mid-Century Modern architecture.
Quick facts
- Project: Topanga Grounds
- Location: 7639–7827 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, 7716 and 7746 N. Glade Avenue, and 22000 W. Elkwood Street, Canoga Park
- Developer/applicant company: Borstein Enterprises
- Site: 771,306 square feet, approximately 17.7 acres, according to the application
- Housing: 269 for-sale condominiums, including 13 very-low-income units and 256 market-rate units
- Buildings: Two to three stories; detached homes and attached duplex structures
- Case: CPC-2026-5371-DB-PR-VHCA; related tract VTT-85385
- Status: Filed October 15, 2026; city portal marked “On Hold” when checked October 16
From growing grounds to a residential community
The property includes 7659 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, an address identified with Green Thumb Nursery in California Department of Food and Agriculture nursery records. The city's primary case address is 7639 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and its address list also includes 7647 and 7659, along with properties farther north and along Glade Avenue and Elkwood Street.
The submitted planning application identifies the existing uses as a commercial nursery, a church with accessory parking, and four dwellings. It proposes demolishing the existing uses to make way for the residential subdivision. The proposal covers a group of properties, extending beyond the nursery itself.
Along the nursery frontage in March 2021
Dale Bergquist and Green Thumb’s Canoga Park roots
The nursery’s history reaches back to Harold Dale “Dale” Bergquist (June 2, 1918–January 5, 2010), who founded Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park in 1946. Born in Shickley, Nebraska, Bergquist developed an interest in growing plants as a boy tending poppies, according to his obituary published by Gates, Kingsley & Gates Praiswater Mortuary.
Before starting the business, he served as an Army sergeant in Europe during World War II, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and received the Bronze Star, the obituary records. His local involvement included being a charter member of the Canoga Park Rotary Club and its president in 1964, along with an interest in the Boy Scouts. The obituary credits the Rotary with helping secure funding for Northridge Hospital.
Bergquist died in West Hills at age 91. His Los Angeles Times obituary published January 9, 2010 also records the nursery’s 1946 founding and identifies his four children as Bud, Nancy, Steve and Susan Turori. He was married to Verna Mae for 50 years before her death in 1992, and married Lila in 1994.
Today, Green Thumb’s account of its growing grounds identifies the Topanga Canyon Boulevard location as a wholesale growing operation serving licensed landscapers and contractors, with more than 15 acres of plants, flowers and trees. That history gives the proposed redevelopment a connection to eight decades of gardening in Canoga Park.
From the newspaper archive
The following newspaper clippings are included as research leads. Neither clipping has been confirmed to be associated with Green Thumb founder Dale Bergquist. They should not be treated as evidence of his military service or of an application by Green Thumb.
Click a clipping to read the full-size image. The 2010 obituary identifies the nursery founder; the two 1966 items remain unconfirmed research leads.
269 condominiums, with detached and duplex homes
According to the application, Topanga Grounds would include 269 for-sale homes in two- and three-story buildings, with associated parking and open space. The proposal combines detached homes and attached duplex structures, with each residence subdivided as an individual condominium.
The housing table lists 13 very-low-income units and 256 market-rate units. The application also lists 725,675 square feet of new construction. Sales prices and a construction schedule are not established in the materials reviewed for this post.
The application’s housing table also identifies four existing market-rate homes for demolition. Replacing those with 269 new residences would produce a net gain of 265 homes.
The unit count has varied across the submitted documents: the September 11 preliminary application letter describes 271 condominiums, while the October-filed application and current city case summary both list 269. The 269-unit figure used here follows those latter records.
Tract map: the proposed layout
Density bonus requests and an early planning status
The City Planning case record lists requests under the State Density Bonus Program, including an off-menu incentive and waivers, along with Project Review and Housing Crisis Act tracking. The September letter describes requests involving setbacks, building separation, height and the averaging of development standards across portions of the site. Those are applicant requests, rather than evidence that the city has approved the proposed changes.
As of October 16, the portal lists the case as “On Hold”, with no accepted-for-review date or hearing date shown. It does not explain the hold. The filing establishes a development proposal; it does not establish a demolition date or an imminent closure of the nursery.
The church property and its Bergquist-family ownership
LoopNet’s property record for 7769 Topanga Canyon Boulevard lists the church parcel as 1.73 acres, identifies its land use as religious and confirms APN 2012-022-016. That acreage refers to the church property, rather than the full Topanga Grounds development site.
The church parcel also shares an ownership connection with the nursery properties. Property records identify its owner as HDB Family Properties II Ptnshp, linking it to the same Bergquist-family ownership discussed below. The transaction history lists a $2.1 million purchase from Faith Lutheran Church, with a sale date of August 3, 2015 and recording date of October 21, 2015. The page’s summary uses October 21 as its last-sale date; the detailed transaction row distinguishes the sale and recording dates.
The church parcel’s position, wedged into the nursery grounds, also makes me wonder whether the Bergquist family might have donated the land before the church was built. This is speculation based on the site’s layout, not a verified part of its history. I have not found a deed or other documentation establishing such a donation. The documented 2015 purchase by HDB Family Properties II does not establish how the church originally acquired the land.
What would replace the church?
The application identifies the church and accessory parking on parcel 2012-022-016. On the submitted tract map, that parcel falls within the proposed community’s recreation area along Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The drawing appears to show a swimming pool with surrounding seating, a clubhouse or community building, and outdoor recreation space. The map does not label each amenity, so those uses are an interpretation of the drawing. No replacement church is identified in the application.
A 1959 church recognized by SurveyLA
The church at 7769 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard is identified in SurveyLA’s March 12, 2013 individual-resources inventory as Epiphany Lutheran Free Church, built in 1959. The survey credits architect Edward Davies and describes it as an “Excellent example of Mid-Century Modern ecclesiastical architecture,” highlighting the design of its soaring A-frame chapel.
The church’s building-record timeline begins with a permit filed September 22, 1958, followed by a certificate of occupancy issued November 17, 1959, according to the building records. The permit names Epiphany Lutheran Free Church as the owner at 7769 Topanga Canyon Boulevard and lists Edward D. Davies as architect for a 5,000-square-foot church and Sunday school. The 1959 occupancy date is consistent with SurveyLA’s recorded year built.
The proposed demolition would remove a church specifically recognized in the city’s historic-resources survey. A SurveyLA evaluation should be distinguished from a formal landmark designation. The survey entry documents the building’s assessed significance in 2013; it does not establish its present designation status or the outcome of the current project’s historic-resource review.
A nearby Mid-Century Modern church demolition previously covered on this blog
The proposal recalls another Canoga Park church redevelopment covered here more than a decade ago. In the April 7, 2014 post Mid Century Modern Church In Canoga Park Demolished for 118 Condos, we reported the demolition of the Reginald F. Inwood-designed church at 20600–20620 Roscoe Boulevard, originally St. Johns in the Valley United Methodist Church and later home to the Filipino International Christian Church. Our July 2013 coverage of the church and its architecture documented its 1959 design and history before demolition.
The earlier story also shows how housing proposals can change: although the 2014 headline referred to 118 condominiums, an April 21, 2015 update on the post says the plans changed to 77 single-family homes. It is a relevant precedent for the loss of a Mid-Century Modern church to residential redevelopment, with a different development history from the current Topanga Grounds proposal.
Street dedications, tree removal and parking
The planning application lists proposed public right-of-way dedications of five feet along Topanga Canyon Boulevard and 21 feet along Elkwood Street, plus a one-foot street dedication on Elkwood and another one-foot street dedication on Glade Avenue. These entries describe land proposed for the public street right-of-way; they do not by themselves establish the final roadway or sidewalk design.
The filing also identifies grading and removal of on-site trees as part of the proposed work. It does not provide a tree-removal count on the application form. Although the project description includes associated parking, the form leaves both the proposed and required parking-space totals blank, so it does not establish a parking count.
Borstein reported being in escrow
In the project-team section, Borstein Enterprises, care of Loren Borstein, checks “Yes” to being in escrow to purchase the property. The application identifies the owners of record separately from the applicant. This documents the purchase status reported in the filing; it does not confirm that a sale has closed.
The property records add a historical ownership connection to the Bergquist name. They list HDB Family Properties II with properties at 7647, 7659 and 7741 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and show 2011 transfer entries at 7647 involving Bergquist-named family trusts and HDB Family Properties II. The planning application separately identifies HDB Family Properties II among the owners of record. These records document named ownership entities and transfers; they do not establish a completed sale to Borstein or the ownership shares of individual family members.
A call to help preserve the church
I intend to notify the Los Angeles Conservancy about the Topanga Grounds proposal and the planned demolition of Epiphany Lutheran Free Church, in hopes of helping save this Mid-Century Modern building. Its recognition in SurveyLA makes it a place worth bringing to the attention of preservation advocates while the development is still proposed.
If you would also like to see the church preserved, I encourage you to contact the Conservancy at advocacy@laconservancy.org. Mention 7769 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard and planning case CPC-2026-5371-DB-PR-VHCA, and share why the church matters to you. You can include the city planning case and SurveyLA entry for reference.
What comes next?
We have also followed small-lot homes and ADUs proposed at 19448 Saticoy Street in Reseda. Topanga Grounds involves a different housing arrangement: individual condominiums within a much larger residential subdivision.
The next records to watch are the city’s review, updated plans and any hearing notice. For now, the filing puts both the nursery grounds and the SurveyLA-recognized church in the path of a proposed residential redevelopment.
Find more neighborhood projects on the Development & Architecture page.
Sources
- Los Angeles City Planning case CPC-2026-5371-DB-PR-VHCA, including the application, preliminary letter and tract map linked above.
- SurveyLA individual-resources inventory, March 12, 2013, page 27; and the October 2013 Office of Historic Resources newsletter.
- Church building records: permit filed September 22, 1958; certificate of occupancy issued November 17, 1959.
- Green Thumb Growing Grounds and the CDFA nursery records linked above.
- Dale Bergquist obituary, Dignity Memorial; Los Angeles Times obituary, January 9, 2010.
- LoopNet church-parcel record and property ownership and transaction records.
- Google Maps and Street View imagery: March 2021, except the November 2024 church empty-parking-lot view and Green Thumb sign view.
- The Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet clippings dated August 23 and December 13, 1966. Connections to Dale Bergquist or Green Thumb remain unconfirmed.
- SFV Blog’s July 2013 and April 2014 coverage of the Roscoe Boulevard church, linked above.
Planning status checked October 16, 2026. Project details remain subject to review and revision.
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