Environmentalists Back 132-Acre R.P.V. Development

A 132-acre development with ocean view lots valued at up to $2 million each is being planned for the coastal headlands in Rancho Palos Verdes, this time with the blessing of environmental groups.

The developer of the project, HMDI Inc. of Los Angeles, plans 79 lots, with fully half of the project land set aside as open space, including several acres of coastal sage scrub, habitat of the California gnatcatcher. The project will also protect a small wetland area and provide wildlife corridors to allow animals access to the bluffs and the sea.

Unlike other projects on the Palos Verdes Peninsula that have run into strong opposition from environmental groups, the latest development has managed to avoid controversy.

“We’re very happy with the plans,” said Andy Sargent, spokesman for the Coastal Conservation Coalition, an umbrella group of 10 environmental and recreational organizations formed to watch over development on the peninsula.

The coalition includes local chapters of the Sierra Club, Audubon Society and the California Native Plant Society, as well as outdoor recreation groups. The coalition’s goal is preserving wildlife habitats and recreational uses in the fast-disappearing coastal lands.

“We aren’t opposed to all development, because we recognize people have the right to develop their property,” Sargent explained. The coalition, he said, works with developers to preserve open space and protect the natural habitats.

The HMDI project is a case in point. Plans for the proposed development breezed smoothly through the city planning commission, with some modifications to meet the coalition’s concerns. The project proposal is now scheduled for a City Council public hearing March 3 and final approval could come later in the month, officials said.

The project is located on the bluffs at the end of Hawthorne Boulevard, immediately west of Palos Verdes Drive West. HMDI plans to develop the land and build five homes costing approximately $6 million each, the builder said. The remainder of the lots will be sold.

All of the homes in the development will be subject to architectural controls set and enforced by the city, HMDI project manager Bill Gilmore explained. If the City Council approves the plans, as expected, he said work will start on the tract next month.

The lack of controversy is unusual, given the bitter fights over other projects. Bitter disagreements still surround at least three other pending coastal subdivisions, two proposed golf courses and the 450-room Long Point hotel project, which was finally approved by the coastal commission and the city.

Rather than arguing their differences in stormy public hearings, as has happened on other projects, both sides worked together on the HMDI project to reach an acceptable agreement, City Manager Paul Bussey said.

“This is proving to be a good example of how things can be worked out,” Bussey said.