City Council Rejects Plan for 7 High Rises

A bitter five-year dispute over construction of high-rise office buildings in the Warner Ridge area of Woodland Hills drew to a close Wednesday when the Los Angeles City Council rejected the proposal and tentatively approved single-family houses for the site.

The 10-2 vote was a victory for Councilwoman Joy Picus and the influential Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization, which has vehemently opposed the Spound Co.’s $150-million proposal to build seven office buildings of three to seven stories each on 21 1/2 acres next to a residential neighborhood.

Albert Spound, president of the firm, decried the decision as “a clear case of land taking” and vowed that if Mayor Tom Bradley does not veto the measure his company will sue the city. Bradley spokesman Bill Chandler said the mayor “is watching the case very closely, but he will not make a decision until the final action comes to his desk.”