Compromise Removes Main Obstacle to Calabasas Cityhood

Proponents of a failed Calabasas cityhood drive and a land developer blamed for torpedoing the drive last year have made peace and are working together in a new drive to establish a city, representatives of the former opponents said Friday.

The Calabasas Cityhood Committee voted Thursday to endorse a controversial Calabasas Park subdivision by Irvine-based developer Jim Baldwin. The committee, composed of about 35 members, agreed to accept Baldwin’s offer to reduce the density of the proposed 1,487-house tract by nearly two-thirds, to a maximum of 550 houses.

In exchange for the committee’s approval, Baldwin agreed to lobby the Los Angeles County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) in support of the committee’s drive for incorporation.

Robert Hill, president of the Calabasas committee, said the new alliance removes the main obstacle to Calabasas cityhood.

“Now, instead of going to LAFCO as adversaries, we can go in agreement on what should be accomplished,” Hill said. “This takes a lot of risk out of the project, and I’m optimistic now that we’ll get what we need.”

The agreement ends a bitter dispute sparked by the desire of many Calabasas residents for their own city.

Baldwin’s land is in the hilly western half of Calabasas Park. It bisects the 10-square-mile community of Calabasas west of the San Fernando Valley, separating residential areas on the east from tax-generating businesses and industry along Las Virgenes Road on the west.

Baldwin took legal steps to prevent his property from being included in the proposed city of Calabasas in the first campaign 22 months ago. Along with owners of other undeveloped property in the area, he did not want to be subject to the whims of a City Council and laws that had yet to be determined, said Robert Burns, Baldwin’s Calabasas project manager.

Baldwin’s sister--saying she was acting only as an “interested citizen” safeguarding county funds--sued to block county funding of brush-fire protection within the proposed city limits if incorporation occurred.

Because of the doubt the suit cast on that revenue source, LAFCO rejected the incorporation application as financially unfeasible.

After the rejection, angry Calabasas homeowners increased their opposition to a county master plan change sought by Baldwin to allow him to construct the 1,487 houses. The master plan called for a maximum of 138 houses on the rugged site.

Burns said the two sides had been working on an agreement for a year. “It’s a true compromise,” he said. “Both sides now have something they can live with. But it’s not everything they would have wanted to have.”

Baldwin agreed to drop plans to extend Calabasas Road or Parkway Calabasas through the new tract to connect with Las Virgenes Road.

Los Angeles County road officials had said the extensions were necessary to provide an alternate route to the Ventura Freeway over the Calabasas grade.

Residents feared that the extension would funnel large amounts of traffic through the residential Calabasas Park area south of the freeway.

Burns said a soon-to-be-constructed section of Mureau Road on the north side of the freeway would serve as a suitable freeway bypass.

Hill said some final details of the agreement still had to be worked out.

He said he wanted Baldwin’s promise to preserve open space in his project to be guaranteed by a county agency.

He said he also wants Baldwin to agree to adjust the location of the houses so that they do not disrupt migratory wildlife areas.