By Julian MITCHELL

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission met Thursday morning and voted to approve the housing project on the property that was the former site of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, located at the intersection of La Tuna Canyon and Tujunga Canyon/Honolulu Avenue. The Commission was met with nearly 80 opponents to the project, many of whom spoke for over 90 minutes against the project.

“This [project] is out of character for our environment,” said Tujunga resident Glen Belt.

The housing project still has to go through further processes at the city level before final approval is given and construction can begin. No dates are set, but the project will have to be approved by the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Although it went through numerous iterations, the project was approved to have 215 housing lots and would include a roughly 30-acre public space. One concern of the opponents was that, despite the addition of a public space, it would not be accessible via public roads. However, the biggest concern was that of fire safety. After the La Tuna Canyon Fire broke out one year ago, current residents of Tujunga and La Tuna Canyon argued that additional housing would further congest roadways in the event of an evacuation or similar emergency.

After the fire jumped Interstate 210, sections of that freeway and even Highway 2 were closed for miles, causing major backups on Foothill Boulevard. Residents argued that emergency rescue and fire response crews would not be able to make it quickly into the areas burning.

The proponents of the project, Snowball West Investments, contested the issues of fire safety. The group’s expert from the Los Angeles City Fire Dept. said building on the land would be safer than leaving it in its current state. The golf course has been closed since 2016, with water and power being shut off since that time as well.

The area is about 56 acres in total and, if developed, would be a private community. It would feature a variety of living spaces as well as a community center. The developers have offered the opportunity to several environmental and local groups to purchase additional lots for preservation sites.

The community would also feature a dedicated historical landmark.

“This [development] is unlikely to stop,” said Claudia Culling, secretary for Glendale-V.O.I.C.E., Volunteers Organized In Conserving the Environment.

V.O.I.C.E has been active in the prevention of the development since the beginning. But they are also one group that has accepted a potential deal with the developers to purchase a parcel of land for preservation.

Originally the project planned to remove nearly 100 trees, including 85 oak trees. That number has fallen to fewer than half. The group also plans on planting new trees to make up for the trees lost due to development.

The Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council is still strongly opposed to the decision and plans to fight where it can.

“Could there be a chance at overturning the CPC decision? Possibly,” said STNC member Cindy Cleghorn in an email to supporters. “I don’t think this community will give up.”

  Julian MITCHELL