Approved Projects: Deerlake Ranch is on hold until 2009, 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, which will make the installation process much easier. Vistas at Indian Oaks Construction Schedule: The intersection improvements at Topanga Canyon and Poema Place/Mayan Drive are still not completed, but are estimated to be finished by February 23. By April 1, the first model section should be completed, and by May-June, two buildings (6 units each) should be completed as well. Project traffic mitigation measures include the following: At the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd, Poema Place, and the 118 freeway, the south side of Poema will be widened, a new westbound lane will be added, and also a signal light will be added both at Mayan and Poema, to replace existing stop signs. Signalization will be added to include right-turn lanes eastbound and westbound on Poema approaching the 118 freeway. Equestrian Trails: Trail work, including the installation of a safety rail, has
been completed. Freeway
Offramp Centex Update The developer held a community meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at the Hilton Hotel to present changes in this project. The project now stands at 29 single-family homes, approximately 2800 – 3500 square feet in size, with native landscaping, on 7000 to 12,000 square foot lots. The access streets for the project will be Halstead and Acorn. 101 condominiums are proposed, with a subterranean parking garage, which is a revision to the original project design. Two mature oaks, in 96” boxes, will be planted on the western perimeter of the development, to mask the view from neighboring homes. A revised traffic study showed insignificant traffic impact on the Topanga Canyon/Plummer Street intersection, according to the devleloper. Centex Homes - Topanga Canyon Blvd. Housing Project (between Marilla and Plummer Streets) Under Construction The west side of Topanga Canyon Blvd., north of Plummer Street, has already began to undergo massive change, as construction has commenced on a project that was originally approved in 1988 by the City of Los Angeles for 29 single family homes, hundreds of apartments and two commercial lots. Over the past 17 years, the tract maps have been renewed many times, taking advantage of City and State extension legislation. Two public community meetings to date have been organized by the developer, Centex Homes, and one meeting by current City Councilman Greig Smith. Centex Homes Director of Land Development, Ron Gallagher, has apologized for the poor communication that Centex has maintained with both the City Councilman’s office and the community, and has agreed to a new traffic study, and committed to replacement oak trees that are larger than what is normally required by the City. Gallagher also has announced that Centex plans to build condominiums instead of apartments, and has introduced a plan for 102 units, which will require review by the City and also the Design Review Committee. This project is seventeen years behind in mitigating what is now legally acceptable and allowable as to the environmental impact on the existing surrounding community. Citizens attending the community meetings have been dismayed that their concerns about oak tree removal, grading and drainage, the outdated traffic study, and the environmental impacts to the Plummer Street/Valley Circle Scenic Corridor are not adequately addressed in accordance with today’s standards. Councilman Greig Smith promised at a July 22, 2005 meeting with the developer and concerned homeowners that as a result of the extraordinary amount of time extensions that were obtained in this case, he will introduce legislation that will require projects more than six years old to conduct a new traffic study. Considering our rapidly growing population and the pace of new home construction, this is a much-needed step in the right direction by the Councilman’s Office, and Save Chatsworth urges Councilman Smith to fight for such reform. Save Chatsworth will be following this Centex project closely, as in this case the planning process has left many shaking their heads. Storage Facility at De Soto and 118 Fwy. Under Construction The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council opposed the City’s approval of an 86,000 square foot storage facility planned for 11056 De Soto Ave., just south of the 118 freeway. Recently, four concerned parties filed a lawsuit to collectively sue for reversal of the City approval of a variance to build this project, located on the east side of De Soto Ave., just south of the east-bound on-ramp of the 118 freeway. Failure to conform to the Chatsworth-Porter Ranch Community Plan, the lack of a transportation study, and improper notification of the mitigated negative declaration are some of the disputed issues. Save Chatsworth members are concerned about the precedent-setting nature of this change in existing zoning, from RA-1 (Very Low II Density Residential), for to allow the development of commercial properties along the Chatsworth-Simi Freeway Scenic corridor is contrary to our mission statement, which supports the historic preservation of the spectacular vistas across the Santa Susana Mountains. Supportive letters from the community are welcomed – please address your letters to Councilman Greig Smith, c/o City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Projects Pending Approval: Smith Introduces Motion to Stop Las LomasOn February 6, 2008l, Councilman Greig Smith introduced a motion to stop the massive Las Lomas development. Smith moved that all work on the proposed development stop until the City decides whether or not it wants to expand its boundaries in order to build Las Lomas. For the full text of this motion, click here: http://www.lacity.org/council/CD12/
Las Lomas developer Dan Palmer still has hopes that Los Angeles
City will annex his property into its limits so that he may build
what he labels a “self-contained” town on 558 acres
between the Golden State and the Antelope Valley freeways. The
plans for the project call for 5,800 single-family homes. Both
the cities of Santa Clarita and Los Angeles oppose the project,
citing the enormous amount of additional traffic that will burden
the area, in light of other projects, such as Newhall Ranch,
that are yet to be built. Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith’s Office Save Chatsworth, Inc. Official Position Letter Hidden Creek The developer for this project would also like to see his project incorporated into the City of Los Angeles, Hidden Creek, which is adjacent to the western border of Porter Ranch, proposes 188 homes built on 132 acres. Most of the lots would measure 18,000 square feet in size. The developer plans an equestrian facility of about 80-100 stalls and a public park with soccer and softball fields, which will not be lit at night. One major flaw is that the developer plans for only 5 equestrian lots (out of 188!), and would like to see the new homeowners who have horses board their horses at the project’s stables. Another serious concern is that the proposed location for the equestrian facility is next to Mormon Creek, a stream under consideration for future plans for Los Angeles City water recharge projects. The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council has also voiced disapproval of this project. |
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