Warner Ridge : Hill Grows Into a Mountain of Controversy

The transfer of 425,000 cubic yards of topsoil from Warner Ridge to the adjacent Pierce College farm is the latest step in the long and bitter controversy over plans to build an office and condominium complex east of Warner Center. Workers are expected to begin shaving off the top few feet of the ridge to prepare the site for construction.

For eight years, the developer and opponents of Warner Ridge have battled in the courts and the hearing rooms of City Hall. Homeowners have argued that the project would inundate the area with traffic, while the developer has charged that the city illegally changed the site’s zoning in an attempt to scuttle the project. Several judges agreed with the developer, Warner Ridge Partners, upholding its right to commercial buildings there.

The dirt-moving project generated its own controversy, as a group of homeowners and environmentalists contended that it could harm wildlife and possibly cause mudslides in the future. The developer countered that objections to the dirt haul were simply the work of homeowners frustrated over their failure to block the Warner Ridge project itself.

A lawsuit against the soil transfer and an appeal of a judge’s decision in favor of the Warner Ridge development are pending, but the project has so far been given the green light. A hearing on the dirt-removal lawsuit is set for Jan. 5.

Carving Up a Hillside

* The project: Transferring two feet of Warner Ridge topsoil to a 42-acre site on the Pierce College farm. The farm will be prepared by scraping off a few feet of soil to make way for the fill dirt, which will level a hilly landscape. The original topsoil will then be replaced over the fill.

* Time: Approximately 10 weeks to complete.

* Amount: 425,000 cubic yards of topsoil, or 33,000 truckloads.

Office Space and Housing

The original Warner Ridge proposal called for 810,000 square feet of office space and housing units. After lengthy legal and political battles, the project was revised:

* Project cost: $150 million

* Project size: 21.5 acres

* Office space: 690,000 square feet, to be leased to the Woodland Hills-based 20th Century Insurance Co.

* Employees: 2,100

* Housing: 125 condominiums

* Construction: Three mid-rise office buildings, scheduled for completion by June 1995. Other office space and housing to be built later, depending on the market.

What Pierce College Gets

In return for allowing the dirt to be transferred from Warner Ridge to the college farm, Pierce will receive $2.1 million, half in cash, half in drainage improvements.

Pierce College Farm

The fill area, about one-fifth off the total Pierce farm, will continue to be used mostly for grazing animals.

Other proposals for the farm, including building a golf course or a rodeo arena, are not currently being considered by the administration. The Foundation for Pierce College may set up a committee to study possible uses for the land.

For and Against

“For homeowners, traffic has been a principal concern of developing Warner Ridge. “That’s always been the bottom line. There are going to be serious traffic delays on De Soto, on Oxnard Avenue and throughout Carlton Terrace.” --Robert Gross, president of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization

“Developers contend that project will keep 20th Century in Los Angeles and that the project itself will enhance the neighborhood. “This is a high-quality, well-designed project. It’s going to significantly upgrade the area and help pull up the property values of the surrounding commercial land.” Robert McMurry, attorney for Warner Ridge Partners

Sources: Pierce College; Researched by KURT PITZER / For The Times