BIRDERS' NESTING TROUBLED : AUDUBON WING CAN'T AFFORD DONATED ESTATE.

Byline: Marni McEntee Daily News Staff Writer

After a longtime Audubon Society member bequeathed her home to the San Fernando Valley chapter, it looked like the bird enthusiasts would finally have their first permanent nesting spot.

But three months after the society got city approval to convert the Marjory Holm estate into its Valley headquarters, chapter members say they can't afford to both renovate the home and make the $40,000 worth of city-mandated changes, which include widening a street and building parking spaces.

``Too many limitations, too much money,'' said Kris Ohlenkamp, who has chaired the chapter's renovation efforts.

Holm, who died in 1992, left the two-story structure at 10361 Lemona Ave. to the 2,400-member chapter for use as a bird sanctuary and a meeting house. The society took possession of the home in July, after the estate cleared probate court.

The chapter had high hopes of renovating the five-bedroom, three-bathroom house for use as a meeting and educational center. It planned a native plant garden and hoped to bolster the research library and offer tours to school groups.

It was expected to cost $70,000 to $100,000 to refurbish the home, which had suffered earthquake and water damage.

But the group had to get a zoning variance from the city of Los Angeles to allow for public use of the property in a residential zone. The variance was granted in January, but it came with 19 conditions.

Among them were the requirements for additional parking and the widening of a portion of Hiawatha Street, said Daniel Green, a city zoning administrator.

The use restrictions left the chapter's board little choice but to consider whether to attempt to sell the property or even trade it for property where the group can meet, Ohlenkamp said. The group first must determine whether such an arrangement would be legal under the terms of the probate.

``We'd like to have a building open to the public, along with grounds and a demonstration garden,'' Ohlenkamp said. ``There are a lot of possibilities that may work.''

The zoning variance limited board meetings to 12 members, which chapter conservation chairwoman Muriel Kotin said effectively prevents the 19-member board from using the home for meetings.

The city also limited tours of the 1-acre grounds to appointments only; barred buses from parking at the home; required a full-time caretaker; and limited library research to three people per day, Green said.

``We want it to function as if a family did live there. We want it to look like a single-family house,'' Green said.

Many of the restrictions were imposed because some of the neighbors in the quiet area feared that busloads of schoolchildren would come to the center, or that the Audubon Society would hold large gatherings, Green said.

One neighbor, Omar Sadat, said he had been concerned about having the zoning on the property changed to a commercial use.

``I really feel bad for them. I really understand. It's a nice purpose,'' Sadat said. ``I'm looking out for our interests, too.''

When the estate cleared probate, the chapter also discovered that much of Holm's $100,000 estate already had been spent. That meant they had to scrape up enough money to pay back and current property taxes.

``I put a lot of time into it, and we already put a lot of money into it,'' Ohlenkamp said. ``It's disappointing that we didn't get the support of the neighbors that we wanted. And it's disappointing that the rest of the estate was spent elsewhere before we got our hands on it.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Kris Ohlenkamp has led the Valley Audubon cha pter's efforts to renovate the Marjory Holm estate.

(2) The earthquake-damaged Holm estate cleared probate in July.

Tina Gerson/Daily News