Hidden Creeks

Hidden Creeks Estates developers are planning a 188 single-family home, gated community in the hills north of Chatsworth. It will be situated between Browns Canyon and Porter Ranch. Of the 188 residential lots, 25 will be 20,000-square-foot equestrian properties. The average lot size in the project is 18,000 square feet, but lots can be as small as 11,000 square feet. The development site is approximately 285 acres, of which 118 acres will remain open space. There will be a public 18-acre park with ball fields, restrooms, tot lot, basketball courts, and a recreation building, developers said.

For the developers to gain access to utilities, the City of Los Angeles must annex the land. Access will be provided through Porter Ranch on an extension of Mason Avenue. Access via Browns Canyon will be available only to fire and police department emergency vehicles.

The Draft Environmental Impact Report has been reviewed by the Land Use and Equestrian committees of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council as well as by the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Both Neighborhood Councils have raised concerns.The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has deemed the Draft EIR totally deficient in providing decision makers with a sense of the subject property’s remote and wild location. The construction of a bridge across Mormon Canyon would have extremely adverse ecological affects, disturbing a very sensitive riparian wilderness area. Over 500 oak trees will have to be removed. To read the Conservancy’s complete letter commenting on the Draft EIR, go to (link).Mormon Canyon Creek is a year-round spring-fed creek, and the canyon has two tall limestone waterfalls, and many riparian plants. The property is zoned for 33 ranchettes, and Save Chatsworth strongly believes that the current zoning should be upheld.

The Mountain Meadows equestrian facility, on Browns Canyon Road at the southern edge of the proposed development, will be remodeled to board 120 horses. The existing operation can accommodate 80 horses. Developers told the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council Land Use Committee that they are buying the boarding facility and plan a leaseback or resale to the current operators after additional negotiations. There will also be a staging area adjacent to the facility for local equestrians who want to ride the Hidden Creeks trails that will connect to regional trails.

Some concerns about this project:Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council stakeholders have expressed concerns about wildlife corridors and traffic on Mason Avenue. Chatsworth Land Use Committee members questioned plans to prohibit Hidden Creeks residents from breaching the southern security gate and using Browns Canyon Road rather than Mason Avenue. There were also questions about whether Mountain Meadows would continue operations or shut down if the current management decides to depart. Requests were made that construction include the latest "green" and energy-saving technology. Provisions for water runoff and the preservation of legally protected trees were also concerns. The Chatsworth Equestrian Committee heard several comments about whether existing trails would be closed for an extended time during construction and whether expanding Mountain Meadows would create more traffic on Browns Canyon Road.

Porter Ranch stakeholders asked where the Hidden Creeks children would go to school. Developers claimed that LAUSD said there was plenty of capacity and that would not be an issue. However, another stakeholder said that the community had gone to much trouble get a new school to serve Porter Ranch. The community would be frustrated if 25% of the school's capacity was taken up by Hidden Creeks students at the expense of Porter Ranch students.

The developer hopes to secure annexation by the City of Los Angeles by the end of 2008.

You may review the Draft Environmental Impact Report at the Porter Ranch and Chatsworth Libraries or online (link).

The deadline for comments on the Draft EIR has passed, but you may still correspondence and direct inquiries about the Final EIR to:Nicholas Hendricks, Environmental Review Coordinator, Department of City Planning, 6262 Van Nuys Blvd, Room 351, Van Nuys, CA 91401, (818) 374-5046, nick.hendricks@lacity.org.



Las Lomas

A judge has has thrown out the lawsuit filed by the developers of the Las Lomas project that would have forced the City to re-open review of the massive 5,500 home mini-city, marking another resounding defeat of Las Lomas. Thanks to the opposition of Los Angeles City Councilmember Greig Smith and other elected officials, environmental advocates and community groups, and area Neighborhood Councils, this massive and environmentally damaging development project is finally dead, as of December 12, 2008.

Approved Projects

Deerlake Ranch Development Project/Vistas at Indian Oaks

Deerlake Ranch is on indefinite hold, due to the slow real estate market. Maintenance and weed abatement and biological monitoring will continue. Good progress has been made on getting easement rights for the Twin Lakes sewers, and the developer's plan is to proceed with obtaining County-required documents from all property owners so that when the project gets off the ground, they will be ready.

Vistas at Indian Oaks currently has one unit constructed, and due to the economy, the rest is on hold, pending future sales. All traffic mitigations are complete.