Charting a Course for Cahuenga

The stage was set for a new battle of Cahuenga last week with the release of a draft environmental impact report that says MCA’s proposals to more than double development in the mountain pass are “consistent with . . . plans for . . . development within major centers.”

Over 25 years, MCA wants to build $3 billion worth of offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, themed attractions and production facilities at Universal City. The company promises an enticing 13,000 new jobs (albeit many at low wages), a $1.6-billion annual infusion into the local economy and $25 million a year in new city and county tax revenues.

Critics say enough already. They say MCA’s existing facilities create too much traffic, noise and illumination, and that any more development will unbearably clog roadways, lower property values and reduce the quality of life.

MCA has made some changes to address these problems (height reductions for new buildings, buffer zones along the property perimeter), but other issues remain unresolved, chief among them, traffic.

The Cahuenga Pass has long been one of Los Angeles’ most congested corridors, and MCA’s plans undoubtedly will add to the load. City officials must ensure that MCA pays its fair share of the costs, but they also must take another look at neighboring Disney, Warner Bros. and NBC and determine whether they are doing the same. A regional approach to traffic issues, one that corrects an existing problem and makes allowances for the future, makes sense.

The challenge for Los Angeles city and county officials as the MCA review process opens is to avoid both NIMBY isolationism and the blind pursuit of dollars. The question is not whether to allow growth but rather how to enable it to proceed responsibly.