Council Ratifies Plan Barring Offices in Warner Ridge Project

The Warner Ridge zoning controversy finally landed on Mayor Tom Bradley’s desk Tuesday when the Los Angeles City Council voted 12 to 1 to approve a plan barring office buildings on the property.

The vote ratified the initial council action of Jan. 24 allowing 105 single-family homes to be built on the property in Woodland Hills.

Councilwoman Joy Picus, who represents the area and has opposed developer Albert Spound’s bid to construct seven office structures on the 21.5-acre site, said she expects Bradley to back the council plan.

Bradley’s alternative is to veto the plan, as urged by Spound. The council could override a veto with 12 votes.

A veto would leave the current zoning intact. Because that zoning permits only about 45 homes on the site, Spound actually would gain if Bradley backs the council plan, Picus said.

But Spound said a Bradley veto might finally kill the idea that his property, purchased in 1985 for more than $20 million, can be economically developed with single-family homes, forcing the council to permit some kind of multifamily or commercial project.

Spound said he and his partner, Johnson Wax Development Co., continue to look at the possibility of suing if the city insists on a single-family home project on Warner Ridge.

A Bradley spokesman said the mayor has made no decision.