Preservation Requires Creativity

For years, some of the most beautiful and dramatic land in the San Fernando Valley has been in danger of development. But earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council approved a deal that will transfer 54 acres north of Stoney Point Park in Chatsworth to public hands. The land, owned by Valley Christian Presbyterian Church in Arleta, expands the total size of the park from 22 to 76 acres. And the deal worked out to protect the craggy property serves as an example of how creative government solutions can be--but so often are not.

The church agreed to swap the property for 11 acres of city-owned land in Northridge and $2.8 million in Proposition A park bond money. It’s a good deal, one that preserves a unique landscape that provides habitat to deer, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels and raccoons. Humans, too, have long found respite in the area. The rock faces lure climbers, and parks officials hope the expanded retreat will draw more hikers and picnickers.

As the Valley continues to grow, the need to preserve sensitive and scenic land increases. With the population of the Valley expected to rise at least 20% in the next two decades, natural parks offer a respite from the grind of urban life. They also protect and strengthen the delicate communities of wildlife that ring the Valley. But preserving gems like the rocks of Stoney Point does not come cheap.

Land is one of the few truly limited assets. Basic economics dictates that as the supply of it diminishes, the price demanded increases. Public agencies simply cannot afford to write market-value checks for every piece of natural land that deserves protection. Neither should private landowners be deprived of their right to profit from their property. Smarter strategies are needed to ensure that private dollars do not too heavily pay for public needs.

The city owns under-used property all over the Los Angeles that may offer more appropriate sites for development than sensitive land. Identifying those sites and evaluating their development potential would provide the city with an inventory of land that could be used as a sort of trading bank. As the swap with Valley Christian Presbyterian Church illustrates, deals that mix cash with good old-fashioned horse trading can produce positive results for everyone.