Firms ‘Stampede’After Tohshin Scraps Project : Topanga Canyon: A bankrupt developer has offers to replace the Japanese firm that backed out, his attorney says.

Controversial plans to build a golf course and housing in Topanga Canyon are still alive, with “a virtual stampede” of other companies lining up to replace Japanese financial interests that withdrew, an attorney for the would-be developer said Thursday.

John T. Janosik, representing developer Christopher Wojciechowski, said in a federal bankruptcy proceeding that Wojciechowski has made “clear, substantive progress” in the last several weeks toward obtaining the five county permits still required before construction can begin on the site of the proposed Montevideo Country Club.

And he promised U.S. District Judge William Lasarow that once the county issues the permits, “we will not have any difficulty in getting a signed agreement” from a company that wants to buy the 257-acre site, located in the northern part of the canyon about three miles from the Woodland Hills border.

Wojciechowski, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection about a year ago, planned to sell the Montevideo Country Club site and the plans for the development to the Japan-based Tohshin Co., for $22 million, plus an additional $14 million when construction began.

But Japanese banks were reluctant to finance the purchase and Tohshin decided not to proceed on the night before the agreement was scheduled to be ratified by the federal bankruptcy court.

Company representatives said the project seemed too risky an investment because of the obstacles still standing in the way of construction.

Before construction can begin, the project needs final approval from the county’s Subdivision Committee, and the Board of Supervisors would have to grant a zoning change, an oak tree removal permit and a general plan amendment, county Planner Don Culbertson said.

Now another potential buyer is negotiating with Wojciechowski to acquire the land for the project, Janosik said Thursday, although Janosik admitted that the company--which he would not identify--is reluctant to commit itself to the purchase until the Board of Supervisors clears the way for construction.

Many Topanga residents vehemently oppose the plan to turn the rolling, oak-dotted meadow into an artificially landscaped golf course, and members of the Topanga Assn. for a Scenic Community have launched a letter writing campaign to persuade Supervisor Mike Antonovich to oppose the project’s current design.

“We have to get the word out that we are not going to accept this thing,” said Bob Bates, president of the association. “We also want to get the word out to potential buyers.”

In an interview after the court hearing Thursday, Janosik refused to reveal the company that is considering the purchase. But he said in court that even if that firm backs out, others have expressed interest.

“There is a virtual stampede of new interest,” Janosik said. But, he said, “buyers want to wait for county approval.”