Newhall Ranch Development

Once again the lack of a regional plan for the greater Los Angeles region comes back to haunt us in the totally despicable development scheme for Newhall [Ranch], which will once again give us a soulless, sterile, commuting-three-hours-to-work, dead-at-night, culturally empty, clone-housing monstrosity. It will eat up more precious open space while destroying wildlife, water resources and the clean air.

Why can’t we adopt a more European plan for our great city? Literally miles of underdeveloped and empty blocks lie within a 10-minute walk from City Hall downtown. Shouldn’t any future residential development be concentrated there? Imagine a city of thriving apartment dwellers, of cafes, outdoor restaurants and, god forbid, walking to work!

Stop the expansion of Los Angeles hundreds of miles into nowheresville. Put the people back into the center of the city, make it civilized, safe and sophisticated and forbid any more Newhall-in-the-hills development!

ANDREW B. HURVITZ, Studio City