Lockheed Site Buyer OKs City’s Demands

In answer to public concern about traffic and parking in the Calabasas Park area, Countrywide Credit Industries Inc., in its application to purchase the former Lockheed corporate headquarters, agreed to several conditions laid out by the city of Calabasas.

The conditions were revealed in a negative declaration document at the city’s Planning Commission meeting Thursday night.

The company, which had met with residents in recent weeks, agreed to take the steps to ease their worries, said Ray Franco, the architect representing Countrywide.

And commissioners took note of the effort. “I feel the applicant has made a good-faith effort to address the issues we brought up at the last meeting,” Commissioner Richard Woolard said.

The conditions included a limit of 750 employees on the site at one time--up from the 385 employees under Lockheed--and a restriction on employees using side streets to get to or from the site.

To discourage street parking, Countrywide plans to build a three-story, primarily underground parking garage for its employees. All employee vehicles will be labeled with decals to more easily identify them.

Opinion was still mixed among residents, though, with some urging the commission to look after their interests and not smooth the way for a large corporation.

“You’re supposed to protect us, not mitigate to look after the developers,” said resident Marcie Ronka. “You would be adding 400 people who are going to want to walk the lake, use the bank during lunch time. Don’t rush into this.”

But others saw the purchase as one that would create local jobs and opportunities for residents.

“People have expressed the feeling that they’d rather see the building boarded up and shut than to see Countrywide in it,” resident Steve Garber said. “I disagree. I’d much rather see the Lockheed facility lived in by a concerned corporate neighbor than see it a house with nobody in it or occupied by security guards and vagrants.”

The commission is expected to take a final vote on the matter at its meeting Aug. 8.