Great news! Today, there was a big announcement from our City Planning Department about the Woodland Hills Country Club. Due to a plethora of documentation from neighbors and a lot of biological and ecological research provided by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and other biological experts, the Planning Department just determined the Woodland Hills Country Club site is ‘wildlife habitat’ for the endangered Mountain Lion. So what does that mean for the future and the proposed development and why is this news so important? The developer of this project was on track to bypass the City’s normal discretionary review process by using AB 2011, a newly revised State law that forces the City to approve such projects under a ministerial process. That means community input, environmental impacts and fire safety cannot be considered prior to approval. With concerns including the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, I tried many different ways to secure a discretionary process — not to stop any development, but to make sure that the project would not endanger the health and safety of our community. While we made sure City Planning did a thorough review of the project application for ministerial approval, we all feared that the Department was on the verge of possibly approving the process ministerially. Being in a high fire severity zone wasn’t enough to get discretionary review, and pointing out that the project is not actually on a commercial corridor (the intended area that is subject to the expedited process under State law) wasn’t enough. However, determining that the project is proposed on endangered species habitat is enough. Planning was tasked with figuring this out based on available evidence, scientific input and court precedents, and fortunately they determined the site to be Mountain Lion habitat. It is a huge step to tap the brakes and put the juggernaut proposal (almost 400 units packed into a third of the site) in a high fire zone on a discretionary path. In the eyes of the City, the proposal submitted by the developer does not qualify for AB 2011 ministerial processing. It is likely that the developer and property owner will sue the city to fight this determination. They applied using State laws just days after they were signed by the Governor and were counting on them to get their project approved. It is, of course, possible that today’s decision by the planning department could be undone in Court. And, given the high value of this development, whatever the Court decides could be confirmed or undone on appeal. While the future is still unknown, I want to thank the many West Valley residents who got involved and engaged in this discussion. I’ve seen our community come together like never before. New organizations like the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Collective and Woodland Hills Landwise Alliance greatly helped raise awareness, and established groups like Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council, the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority really stepped up to advocate. After the application was filed in November, neighbors worked hard to research the history of this site and they helped me and my staff understand the impacts of the recent state legislation, compiled many presentations, and truly became a galvanizing force in our community. In recent months, some housing advocates have voiced their own concerns, wrongly claiming that our shared advocacy is nothing but a NIMBY, anti-housing crusade. To be clear, my issue with the proposal is not about stopping housing. We obviously need more housing throughout Southern California. In the last census the 3rd Council District grew more than any other in the City. This was not an accident. I have been leading a concerted effort to build strategically in CD3, with the Warner Center 2035 Plan and thoughtful development up and down major thoroughfares. Overall we have green lit or built well over 15,000 new units of housing in the last few years. With the recent announcement of a $2 billion, 3,100 unit senior housing site, we are continuing to grow and welcome new housing in my district in the right locations. There could be projects that can be safely built in the CD3 High Fire Zones with appropriate CEQA and mitigation. However, just a few miles from the Palisades and Woolsey burn scars, a high density proposal should not get approved ministerially without thorough analysis and hearings for local concerns and voices. The fire risks are very real and cannot be ignored. Emergency preparedness and fire safety have always been top priorities for me. The developers tried to take advantage of unintended loopholes in state legislation, totally ignoring safety issues in an area the state deemed at the highest risk of fire danger. Most state housing density bills exempt high fire zones, for good reason. It seems crazy that the bills they were relying on did not. I am grateful for the in depth analysis and review conducted by the Planning Department to determine that this location is ineligible for the AB 2011 ministerial process. This is a big step and a cause for celebration among those of us who put safety above profit and who care about community input, the environment and the CEQA process. From Councilmember Blumenfield |