Wants to Counter Picus : Warner Ridge Builder Seeks Business Allies

A developer fighting residents’ opposition to his $150-million office project has appealed for help from Woodland Hills business leaders.

Builder Jack Spound urged members of the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce to pack a public hearing on Feb. 6 when his proposed nine-building “Warner Ridge” project is considered by Los Angeles city officials.

Spound said that a major show of support for offices on his 22-acre parcel on a hill between Warner Center and a 1,300-house neighborhood will help him beat back Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joy Picus’ opposition to the project.

Picus has sided with homeowners in the dispute. She is seeking a zoning rollback that will allow only luxury homes on the site at the northeast corner of De Soto Avenue and Oxnard Street.

Impact on Hearing Officer

But Spound said that the 850-member Chamber of Commerce can help sway a hearing officer, whose findings will later be considered by the city Planning Commission. The hearing is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Parkman Junior High School auditorium.

“If we get three votes at the commission level and win, then she needs 11 votes at the City Council to override. All we need are six council votes,” Spound said.

In a meeting Wednesday night with members of the chamber’s development and environment committee, Spound complained that Picus was being unduly swayed “by a cacophony of noise from the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization, which is opposed to all growth.

“If our development goes down in flames, the precedent will be set. Any organization loud enough . . . can force their wishes on your property,” proving that “a developer may be better off not working with the community because all it will cost you is interest payments on your land.”

That contention was denied by Jim Dawson, who is Picus’ chief land-use deputy.

2 Years of Debate

Dawson told chamber committee members who were meeting at the Blue Cross headquarters in Warner Center that Picus acted to oppose Spound’s office project after listening to two years of debate.

Dawson said Spound tried hard to persuade residents of the Carlton Terrace neighborhood to support his project. That effort included door-to-door canvassing and distribution of a frequent newsletter called “Let’s Talk.”

“Even though he made a sincere and admirable try, he didn’t succeed,” Dawson said. “Our opinion is he failed. He did not convince the community that an office building is best for that site.”

Dawson brushed aside suggestions that the west San Fernando Valley councilwoman was swayed by a few loud voices that do not accurately reflect the community. He told the group that council members are rarely overruled by colleagues on land-use issues affecting their districts.

Spound retorted that Picus broke a pledge not to take a position on the issue until all the facts were in--including an environmental impact report on the project.