New Idea on Warner Ridge

On Feb. 6 at Parkman Junior High in Woodland Hills, a breath of fresh air was introduced to an otherwise hopelessly deadlocked controversy, the Warner Ridge development.

The developers, Spound and Spindler (Johnson Wax Co.), have spent a bundle of money putting on a dog-and-pony show to convince people that the land, which is still zoned residential/agricultural, should be rezoned to allow a monstrous, 810,000-square-foot commercial/office complex to be erected on the property.

Peter Ireland, candidate for the 3rd District City Council seat, came up with what I consider an excellent solution. I am not sure that everyone at the meeting understood his proposal, which is the reason for this letter. Mr. Ireland proposed that the land be bought by the city and developed as an open-space park.

Goodness knows we need some open park space in the Valley for people to use and enjoy. This could be accomplished by the city of Los Angeles issuing revenue bonds that would be retired by future developers who would pay for the right to further develop Warner Center. We all know that there is a tremendous amount of development still to be accomplished within Warner Center itself. The program is not new; it has been used before. It is known as a transfer of development rights. It merely trades and transfers development away from areas not appropriate for development.

MONROE P. EPSTEIN

Canoga Park