A proposal to build 398 homes on the northern section of the Woodland Hills Country Club is drawing pushback from nearby residents, who say the steep canyon site faces wildfire risks and has limited evacuation routes. Residents say it’s the wrong place for a fast-tracked project that would bypass public hearings and a full environmental review.
Arrimus Capital, a real estate firm that owns the Woodland Hills Country Club, is seeking approvals to redevelop about 20 acres of the golf course under AB 2011, a state law that streamlines certain mixed income and affordable housing projects by removing public hearings, environmental reviews and discretionary city approvals.
But residents, and a spokesperson for Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, argue the hillside site does not qualify for ministerial approval and needs fuller scrutiny because of its fire-risk conditions and zoning.
Elise Tyler, a neighbor speaking on behalf of the residents’ group, said on Thursday, “The law (AB 2011) was written to streamline housing on commercially zoned properties … not on A1-zoned agricultural land,” and that its Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone designation “raises additional questions about how the law functions here.”
Earlier this year, the Palisades fire prompted voluntary evacuations in the Girard Tract, where residents could see the flames from their balconies as the fire moved through the Topanga Canyon area toward their neighborhood. “After many of us evacuated our homes earlier this year, this is top of mind,” Tyler said. “We want to ensure the project receives the level of safety and environmental review any community would expect.”
“Neighbors are simply asking that this proposal be reviewed for what it is,” Tyler said. “A novel and untested application of AB 2011 that requires thoughtful review.”
An online petition opposing the project had collected nearly 1,400 signatures as of Friday morning.
The proposal at 4868 N. Canoga Avenue calls for 175 three-story detached single-family homes, 126 market rate apartments and 97 rent-restricted apartments—including 32 units for seniors and 65 for families. The apartment units would be in four-story multifamily structures. Plans also include 835 parking stalls and 191 bicycle parking spaces.
In a statement Thursday, project spokesperson Aaron Green said the proposal would “help move the needle” on addressing the city’s housing crisis.
“This dynamic project brings together a diverse mix of housing options, from rent-restricted senior housing to modern apartments and single-family homes for sale,” Green said. “The proposed project embodies California’s goal of producing much-needed mixed-income housing.” He added that the site qualifies to “utilize the Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process provided by AB 2011/AB 2243.”
Green said the project has been designed to comply with adopted fire hazard mitigation measures pursuant to existing building code standards, and will undergo additional review by the Los Angeles Fire Department. He added that the team plans to engage with neighbors as the project moves forward and have posted renderings and project details on a website.
The project site is in the Girard Tract, a hillside neighborhood south of Ventura Boulevard where homes ring the Woodland Hills Country Club and rely on a handful of narrow roads for escape during fast-moving fires. The site is zoned A1 agricultural land and lies within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, according to city planning documents, as does much of the surrounding canyon. The golf course occupies the basin of a small canyon formed by offshoots of the Santa Monica Mountains. It acts as an open space and a wildlife corridor for the surrounding hillside community.
Residents argue those conditions should disqualify the project from AB 2011’s ministerial approval and require a full environmental review.
Under AB 2011, streamlined approval applies to 100% affordable housing and certain mixed-income projects built on eligible commercial corridors where office, retail or parking uses are principally permitted. Whether the country club site meets that definition is now a point of dispute.
Blumenfield represents Woodland Hills, and his spokesperson Jake Flynn, said, “Right now, it’s unclear if it meets AB 2011 ministerial standards. We have heard a significant amount of concern from community members and we think that it does meet the need for a full CEQA review, considering it’s in a Very High Fire Severity Zone, Hillside Area, Special Grading Area among other environmentally sensitive categories.”
Flynn said that Blumenfield’s office has urged the developer to engage with neighbors, regardless of AB 2011. “This is a privately-owned, large scale golf course that is adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains and building anything here should be intensely vetted by community stakeholders,” Flynn added.
But some community leaders see the opposition differently. Woodland Hills – Warner Center Neighborhood Council President Jon Mann, speaking for himself, said, “The people who are upset by it are the rich homeowners that live in the area, who feel like they’re going to be put out, either financially or physically, financially from a reduced home value that they own which is in proximity to the projects. Or it’s going to be because now what they view as lesser desirable people, let’s say people who make less money than them, are going to now be their neighbors.” he said. “So they’re afraid for multiple things. And I feel it’s very anti-development, anti-progress, and anti-humanity.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of City Planning said the application was filed Nov. 25 and is currently on hold while the city conducts a “completeness review” under the State Permit Streamlining Act. Project materials are available online for public viewing.
The department did not answer questions about whether the application is being reviewed under AB 2011 or how the department evaluates eligibility on sites located in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones or hillside areas with limited evacuation access.
Residents plan to hold a community meeting on Dec. 12 to discuss the proposal. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm at St. Mel’s – O’Connor Center at 20870 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, and will also be available via Zoom.
According to the project website, the existing golf course would close once construction begins, though the owners are exploring ways to preserve the clubhouse and potentially reopen it as a community amenity.