Homeowners Accuse Developer of Betrayal : Calabasas: Panel approves condominiums, with road extension. Angry residents say the plan negates builder’s guarantee.

The usually sedate meeting of the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission nearly ended in fisticuffs Wednesday when homeowners accused a developer of betrayal.

“You lied. You sold us out,” yelled Bob Lia, president of the Community Assn. of Saratoga Hills, his face red and fists clenched.

Lia and other Calabasas residents said they agreed not to oppose a 50-unit condominium complex north of the Ventura Freeway in return for the developer’s guarantee that he would not extend and pave a dirt road, which they feared would increase traffic in their neighborhood.

The commission approved the development and the paving of Driver Avenue by a 3-2 vote after county engineers said the second entrance was needed for emergency vehicle access.

Although representatives of the developer, Houshang Khaki, told the planning commissioners during Wednesday’s meeting that they would prefer not to build the road, Lia and others said the developer should have refused to accept the road as a condition of approval for the project.

After the meeting, Khaki tried to calm Lia and other angry homeowners by saying he would join them in their appeal of the decision to the Board of Supervisors. But he added that if forced on the issue, he would pave the road and build the condos. “Let’s face it, I’m a developer,” he said.

Hans Giraud, a private civil engineer employed by Khaki, said he would attempt to prove that widening the area’s other access road--Canwood Street--would address the county’s safety concerns instead.

County law requires two entrances for areas with more than 300 houses, and the condominiums bring the region’s dwelling units to 320. But Giraud said the county could waive that requirement.

The road issue perplexed the planning commissioners, who initially voted to deny the project on Wednesday. Then, at the urging of commission Chairwoman Sadie Clark, Commissioner J. Paul Robinson changed his vote.

“I really don’t know what to do on this one,” Robinson said before he changed his vote. “What I would rather see is the . . . dwelling units not exceed 300,” making the second road unnecessary.