Warner Center Plan Criticized as Bad for Business : Development: The Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce says density limits and traffic mitigation fees may make building too expensive for most companies.

Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce officials said Tuesday that the proposed growth plan for Warner Center “may actually discourage commercial development” and criticized planners for failing to consider the beneficial effects of mass transit.

Chamber President Gerald E. Curry complained at a news conference that the city’s blueprint for the urban center--outlined last month in a draft Specific Plan--halves the amount of construction allowed and encourages developers to build their projects elsewhere to avoid financing massive traffic improvements.

The plan may discourage development “through drastically reduced density allowances, unprecedented trip fees and the elimination of any consideration for mass transit,” Curry said.

The proposed Warner Center Specific Plan allows an additional 11.8 million square feet of commercial and residential space over the next 20 years, increasing the center’s size to 26.8 million square feet. Under current limits, Warner Center could grow to about 35.7 million square feet.

City planners estimate that $1.3 billion would be needed for road improvements and have called for the construction of elevated streets and flyover intersections to relieve congestion. About half the road improvements would be financed by developers, who would be charged $14,990 for each car trip generated by their projects.

Curry speculated that reduced development levels and increased traffic fees could make Warner Center--now one of the San Fernando Valley’s premier business addresses--too expensive to be attractive.

“We want to keep business here rather than have business move out,” he said.

Roger Stanard, chairman of the chamber’s development, environment and transportation committee, said city planners did not consider proposed rail lines and other forms of mass transit when calculating increases in traffic generated by new projects. As a result, estimates are too high for the number of additional car trips and for fees developers should be charged for traffic improvements, Stanard said.

“After five years, it’s hard to believe that this is what they came up with,” Stanard said. He said the plan should be revised.

Asked about the absence of mass transit elements in the plan, Frank Fielding, chief city planner in the Valley, said the proposal is a preliminary draft and that mass transit probably will be addressed in the final version presented to the Planning Commission.

“The trip fees only reflect the cost of the Specific Plan as it stands now,” he said.

Fielding said planners did not include mass transit proposals in the draft plan because it was uncertain if and when proposed light-rail or Metro Rail systems would be built to Warner Center. In the meantime, he said, traffic from additional development “would have already been severely affecting the Valley.”

Councilwoman Joy Picus--who represents the area and whose support for the plan could be crucial--has said the plan allows too much growth and called on city planners to cap development at 20 million square feet so the public could review the plan before more construction is allowed.

Like the chamber, Picus has criticized the road improvements, but not because of the price tag for developers. She said at a community meeting last month that the proposed elevated roads--which carry through-traffic on the top level and local traffic below--would destroy the area’s pedestrian environment.

The Planning Department will hold a workshop to discuss the plan today at 4:30 p.m. at Parkman Junior High School in Woodland Hills. A public hearing also will be held next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Parkman.

After the hearing, city planners will incorporate public input into a final plan that will be presented to the Planning Commission. The plan ultimately must be adopted by the City Council.