Workers Fence Off 16 Acres of Wetlands at Playa Vista

Crews resumed work Tuesday on wetlands within the Playa Vista development after fencing off 16 acres that a judge ruled were protected, officials said.

U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew last week told the developer and environmentalists trying to stop the project that an injunction on further grading at the 1,087-acre site only applied to those 16 acres.

Workers using earthmovers began Tuesday preparing to build a berm that will separate freshwater and saltwater marshes on the site south of Marina del Rey, said David A. Herbst, vice president of corporate affairs for Playa Vista.

Preparations for lines that will carry water into the marshes is under way, he said.

The Playa Vista development is to include thousands of residential units along with commercial properties, possibly including the DreamWorks SKG movie studios. About 500 acres will be open space, including the freshwater and saltwater marshes.

Marcia Hanscom of the Wetlands Action Network, which has been fighting the project in court with two other environmental organizations, decried the construction and said the groups are appealing the judge’s decision to allow work to proceed.

“This is outrageous,” she said. “We will certainly bring it to the court’s attention.”