Ahmanson Gets Green Thumbs Up in Report

Building a suburb of 3,050 homes would substantially affect the rare frogs and flowers dotting the hills of Ahmanson Ranch, but with minor safeguards such problems could be reduced to acceptable levels, said an environmental study released Tuesday.

The report will be dissected in a series of public hearings, culminating with a vote, likely this fall, by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

But even before county officials distributed copies, opponents declared that the supplemental study fell short, possibly setting the stage for yet another lawsuit over the much-litigated project at the county’s eastern edge, near Calabasas.

A chief objection is that the study, conducted by an independent consulting firm, did not reexamine the effects of increased traffic, a major concern of west San Fernando Valley residents.

“It doesn’t do anything of significance,” said Mary Wiesbrock, director of the opposition group Save Open Space. “They didn’t do a new traffic study. They’re not dealing with the impacts on Las Virgenes Creek. And they’re [making] the absurd statement that the spineflower and the frog are going to survive this huge urban assault.”

Ahmanson spokesman Tim McGarry said the developer, while still sorting through the report’s details, was “certainly pleased” with its findings.

“It erases a question mark that’s been attached to the Ahmanson Ranch project since the frog and flower were discovered” three years ago, McGarry said. “We’ve said for some time that we could protect the species and build the project. And that has now been confirmed by an independent evaluation.”

The environmental report found that even with some recommended modifications, the project would destroy nearly 7% of the San Fernando Valley spineflower plants found at the ranch. Construction and traffic could also indirectly cause the loss of some California red-legged frogs or their habitat, the report said.

Ventura County officials approved the Ahmanson Ranch project in 1992. The planned suburb, a 2,800-acre residential, retail and office development northwest of Calabasas, has won awards for its innovative design and withstood more than a dozen lawsuits.

But the project hit a bump in 1999 when biologists commissioned by the developer, Washington Mutual Bank, found two unexpected species at the site: the San Fernando Valley spineflower, long assumed to be extinct, and the California red-legged frog. The discoveries prompted Ventura County to commission a supplemental environmental impact report, required under state law when significant new information emerges.

Among the safeguards the new study recommends for the spineflower are fenced-off preserves, an annual population census and weed abatement. California considers the flower an endangered species, but it has not won federal protection.

For the frog, a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act, the report proposes a 300-foot buffer zone around pools where the animals live, curbs suitable for frog-hopping, limits on pesticide use, and a biologist to check open trenches to make sure frogs aren’t trapped during construction.

“At first glance, [the proposed mitigation] appears to be window dressing rather than substantive measures,” said Peter Galvin, a conservation biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity, a national group that opposes the Ahmanson Ranch project.

“They come up with these mitigation measures, like, ‘We’ll fence this area off.’ The effort may be well-intentioned, but years after the development is built and people are living there, who is going to make sure that no one drives a dirt bike onto the area?”

While welcoming the chance to poke holes in Ahmanson’s plans through the supplemental review, Los Angeles County politicians have repeatedly demanded a more detailed analysis.

“To rely on a 10-year-old environmental impact report, especially on the issue of traffic, is not credible,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. “If they don’t address it in their EIR, they’re going to address it in court.”

Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn countered that an entirely new environmental review, replete with fresh hurdles, could invite a lawsuit from the developer. But Flynn’s colleague, Supervisor Steve Bennett, said the omission of updated traffic projections could be a sticking point when it comes time to vote.

“It’s legitimate to say, ‘Hey, does this satisfy all the environmental concerns that should be addressed?’” Bennett said.

The battle lines over Ahmanson were drawn years ago, but the fight gained intensity in recent months as both camps cranked up public relations campaigns in anticipation of Tuesday’s report.

In one full-page newspaper ad, the developer touted its frog-friendly efforts, declaring that the amphibians “are being groomed for stardom in a repopulation program.” Anti-Ahmanson forces countered with radio spots featuring actor Martin Sheen asking: “Are you stuck in traffic right now? If not, you better enjoy this rare moment. Because it’s only going to get worse, thanks to Washington Mutual Bank.”

Rally to Save Ahmanson Ranch, the celebrity-studded opposition group that sponsored the Sheen ad, vowed to campaign against the project regardless of the county supervisors’ decision.

“We want to try to convince Washington Mutual that this project is bad business for them,” said HBO executive Chris Albrecht, who co-chairs the group along with producer-director Rob Reiner.

But McGarry dismissed the criticism. “The truth about the project is that it meets the region’s need for new housing in an environmentally responsible way that puts homes close to jobs,” he said.