Developer Cuts Warner Ridge Project

Developer Jack Spound said Tuesday that he has a new plan to build a 690,000-square-foot, mixed-use project on Warner Ridge that would be 15% smaller than his original proposal.

The plan, which Spound characterized as a compromise, calls for a project with 100 residential units. Some of those units would be designated as “affordable,” which means they would be within reach of lower-income tenants, he said.

Spound’s offer is the latest development in his lengthy battle with Councilwoman Joy Picus, who represents the Warner Ridge area in Woodland Hills.

Picus opposes any commercial development at the site. Last January, the council--at Picus’ insistence--imposed residential zoning on the property that would permit construction of several dozen luxury homes.

Spound originally sought a 810,000-square-foot commercial project. He later proposed a 540,000-square-foot office and retail complex that also included 350 residential units. Spound explained his latest plan to reporters Tuesday. He has not yet taken it to City Hall.

Picus was on vacation Tuesday and Michele Gagan, her chief deputy, refused to comment on Spound’s proposal, saying it would be inappropriate while the Spound Co. and its partner, Johnson Wax Development Co., were suing the city.

Last month, Superior Court Judge John Zebrowski ruled that Woodland Hills must zone the property to conform to the city’s general plan for the area, permitting Spound and his partners to build some type of commercial project. The general plan for Warner Ridge calls for commercial development.

Zebrowski gave the city 30 days to complete the rezoning. To meet the deadline, the council was supposed to approve the ordinance this week. But the need for quick action was lifted last week when a state Court of Appeal granted a temporary stay pending a decision on the city’s appeal of Zebrowski’s ruling.