TUJUNGA : Long-Delayed Home Project Approved

Five years after it was first proposed, a development of 105 single-family luxury homes in Tujunga was approved by the Los Angeles City Council Wednesday.

The Valley Vista project will be built by the Dale Poe Development Corp. of Agoura.

Houses are projected to sell at $350,000 to $400,000.

“We are very confident of that market,” said Garry Gorian, a spokesman for the firm. “It’s a beautiful location, a fantastic neighborhood, and the views are breath-taking.”

A few neighbors had opposed the project, saying in hearings that the two-story homes would block their views, lower property values, invade privacy and cause traffic and fire-safety problems.

But Sylvia Gross, a representative of the Sunland-Tujunga Assn. of Residents, said that, while her group had made some suggestions to change the project, it favors the development.

To accommodate residents’ concerns, the project off Tujunga Canyon Boulevard had been cut from 126 to 105 homes, and 26.1 acres of open space plus a 2 1/2-acre park were added. The houses also will be limited to 30 feet in height and will be angled to limit the impact on neighbors’ views.

The head of the development company, Dale Poe, 61, died last month in an auto accident, but his son, William, has taken over the company.

“Bill Poe has taken over as president, and it’s business as usual,” Gorian said. Construction was not expected to begin for at least another 18 months, according to the plans made before Poe’s death.

Poe, 61, and his wife, Margaret, died in an automobile accident May 17 near Delano in the San Joaquin Valley.