Mayor Karen Bass came to the valley last Saturday to hear homeowners’ concerns about the proposed development at Woodland Hills Country Club.
She was invited at the behest of the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Collective, a grass-roots organization born from opposition to the developer’s proposal to build 398 homes with 97 affordable housing units on the club’s property.
She heard their arguments that the grounds were considered wetlands and habitat for mountain lions and other wildlife. Residents’ biggest concern however, is the access and ingress for emergency vehicles in case of a fire, especially in the so-called “spaghetti streets” on the southern edge leading to the mountains (Alahama, Morro , Golondrina for example).
Organizers were quick to say they were not against development – just irresponsible development, saying Canoga Avenue in no way is a “commercial zone” though the developer is using AB2011 to define it so and get his project fast-tracked.
The Los Angeles City Planning Department has deemed that Arrimus Capital, the developer, has completed their application and taken care of all corrections that planning requested.
Opponents argued that the file submitted to the City had all the affordable units on one end of the project with market rate homes on another, which they say is a violation of zoning codes – all units must be mixed in not segregated.
John Walker of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization (WHHO) also said that the City needed more input from the community and a SEQA analysis. “They’re increasing risks that we have no input in. These roads are not going to be able to be evacuated in a major fire.”
At a later WHHO meeting, Bass said that, “She couldn’t imagine emergency vehicles getting down Canoga. It was a real problem in the Palisades.” She was asked to return to an upcoming meeting with Fire Chief Moore.
Several lawsuits are pending against the project, and Woodland Hills Neighborhood Collective is holding another information meeting on Monday, June 29 at 6 pm at Harter Hall, Woodland Hills Community Church, 21338 Dumetz Road, where Councilmember Bob Blumenfield will give an update on City Planning’s review of the project.
For more information visit wh-neighborhoodcollective.org.
