WOODLAND HILLS : Residents Oppose 108-Home Project

Homeowners in several upscale Woodland Hills neighborhoods plan to try to block a proposal to build 108 homes on a 419-acre plot of land near the south end of Winnetka Avenue.

The project, which would involve cutting more than a million cubic yards of dirt from several hillsides and filling in parts of canyons, also would leave 297 acres ungraded, said Dwight Steinert, a consultant for the developer, Mulholland Hills Assn.

The proposed Mulholland Hills Estates development would stretch from Ellenita Avenue on the east to Natoma Avenue on the west, and as far south as Mulholland Drive in some places. A report on the project issued earlier this month found that it would not upset the environmental, city service or traffic balance in the area.

But residents of Forest Hills Estates and surrounding hillside neighborhoods, several of which are gated, dispute the findings, saying their lives would be disrupted by the construction and the increased population the project would involve.

“Our neighborhood is really upset about this,” said Marilyn Stone, a 30-year resident of the area and a member of the Forest Hills Homeowners Assn.

“One of the reasons we bought (homes) here was that it’s a quiet rural area. We realize that development does go on, but if it will change our way of life, we’re going to try to do something about it.”

Members of the public have until Aug. 16 to submit comments on the project, which will be included in the final environmental impact report. That report will be considered as the city decides whether to approve the development.

The developer has applied for city zoning changes to allow some of the lots to be as small as 32,000 square feet, as long as the average lot is at least 40,000 square feet.

The application also includes a request for several exemptions to the Mulholland Scenic Corridor Specific Plan, which was drafted in an attempt to preserve the view of pristine canyons from the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains.