Study Cites Adverse Effects of CRA Plan

Creation of the city’s largest redevelopment project in the northeast San Fernando Valley could result in “significant adverse impacts” including increased pollution and loss of open space, according to a new report.

The environmental impact report released Tuesday calculates that under the proposal, as much as 2 million square feet of new commercial space, including offices, could be built and 1,600 new homes.

The report, released a year behind schedule, was prepared for the Community Redevelopment Agency by Terry A. Hayes Associates.

The conclusions on adverse effects concerned some critics of the proposed redevelopment plan, including Jim Leahy, vice chairman of a committee set up to advise the CRA.

“The traffic is terrible as it exists now,” Leahy said. “Pollution is a major problem in this city.”

City Councilman Alex Padilla, whose district includes the project area, said he will now review the report and will insist the city do everything possible to minimize the negative effects of redevelopment efforts.

“Environmental considerations are certainly important considerations within the scope of the project,” Padilla said.

The report has to be certified by the CRA board, the Planning Commission and the City Council as part of the adoption of the redevelopment plan, according to Bob Fazio, a CRA official.

The agency has not yet completed its proposed plan for the project area, but the environmental impact report said it looked at different levels of development to determine the effects on the community.

The report found that the “maximum level of development that could occur” during the four-decade life of the proposed plan would result in 1.9 million square feet of net commercial and industrial development, after considering the loss of 430,000 square feet of existing businesses.

About 46 residential units would be bulldozed by the redevelopment program, with 1,646 new units built.

“I don’t think that is unrealistic,” Fazio said of the projections. “It’s going to depend on market conditions during the life of the plan.”

*

The report concludes that the city can take steps to lessen the negative effects, but some cannot be avoided, including worsened air pollution, increased demand for limited fire protection services, increased demand on local parks and potential loss of open space.

Leahy said he is worried that his panel, called the Project Area Committee, will not have an impact on the plan. The committee lacks a quorum and won’t have one until after elections in mid-December.

The project also faces opposition from a group of community activists, including Leahy, who have asked Padilla to kill the plan.

“At our last meeting, overwhelmingly, the public said it didn’t want the CRA or the project in their community,” Leahy said.

Padilla said he will await the formal recommendation of the entire Project Area Committee early next year before deciding whether to pursue the project.

“If that’s what the community wants, I believe there is a lot that can be done for the northeast San Fernando Valley,” Padilla said.

A public hearing on the environmental impact report is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Fernando Neighborhood Legal Services Community Room, 13327 Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Prescription for Growth

A proposed redevelopment project in the northeast San Fernando Valley could pave the way for 1,600 new homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space, but would also bring significant negative impacts, according to an environmental impact report released Tuesday.

Source: Community Redevelopment Agency