RANCHO PALOS VERDES : City Won’t Release Land for Donation

The Levitt family’s plan to donate two acres of land to Rolling Hills Estates was stymied recently by the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council.

The vacant land near Silver Spur Road, which is zoned commercial, is in Rancho Palos Verdes, but the Levitts wanted to donate it and an adjoining parcel to neighboring Rolling Hills Estates.

But the Rancho Palos Verdes Council voted unanimously to keep the land within their city to maintain control over any future development, which could affect nearby homeowners and bring in tax dollars.

By donating the land, the Levitts would probably gain tax benefits, according to a Rancho Palos Verdes city report.

A letter signed by their attorney says the Levitts plan to donate an adjoining acre already in Rolling Hills Estates to that city. The letter encourages Rolling Hills Estates to maintain the three-plus acres as open space, or to trade it for open space.

Rancho Palos Verdes does not plan to rezone its land as open space, said City Manager Paul D. Bussey, but a city report does not predict any development on the hilly acres. The report says the city approved applications to develop the land in 1986, but the project never materialized.