L.A. May Buy Golf and Tennis Club

Torn between competing desires to preserve open space and to address a housing shortage, the Los Angeles City Council took the first step Friday to buy the Studio City Golf and Tennis Club to prevent much of the 17-acre facility from being bulldozed for a senior-citizen housing project.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who represents Studio City, said rapid development in the San Fernando Valley warrants action by the council, even if it means using the city’s power to condemn property to force the sale of the land.

“This is a treasure that we should preserve,” Greuel said. “It is a facility that has served young people throughout the San Fernando Valley. It is open space that we think should be preserved.”

The move was approved by an 11-1 vote, with Councilwoman Ruth Galanter the lone dissenter. She and an official representing the company that hopes to redevelop the club urged the council to consider the city’s long-stated need for more residential construction in Los Angeles.

“This area is drastically in need of senior housing,” said Stephen Taylor, chief executive of Homeplace Retirement Communities of America, which is in escrow on the property.

Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Assn., said his group has identified other sites for possible new housing. He and Greuel said there has to be a balance between the need for more housing and the need to preserve scarce open space.

“You don’t address the housing shortage by reducing open space, particularly in the heart of a community,” said Lucente, whose group supported the council action.

The council asked for a report in 45 days on potential funding sources for the property, which could include bonds that would be repaid by golf and tennis fees. Greuel said some state parks money also may be available.

The council directed engineers and attorneys for the city to conduct appraisals and environmental studies, to make an offer to purchase the property and, if necessary, to draft an ordinance for its condemnation.

Guy Weddington McCreary, whose family owns the land, said Homeplace agreed to pay $12 million for the property. But Taylor said the land could be worth up to $46 million if the zoning were changed to allow residential development.

“What sense does it make for a city where they are closing down trauma centers to spend tens of millions of dollars to keep a handful of homeowner leaders happy?” Taylor asked.

He predicted council support for buying the property would wane once officials realize the cost. He also questioned whether the city can legally use its power of eminent domain to buy a golf course, noting that such power normally is reserved for important public projects, such as police stations and schools.

Homeplace plans to build a 240-unit housing complex and health-care center for senior citizens.

The project would consist of seven four-story buildings, and would include 50 units for assisted living as well as parking for 500 vehicles.

The developer has proposed reconfiguring the existing nine-hole golf course around the housing and donating it to the city. The project would tear up 20 tennis courts and rebuild eight of them elsewhere on the property.

“We proposed what we thought would be a good compromise that would preserve 76% of the land,” Taylor said.

Councilman Jack Weiss, who represented Studio City until redistricting last year, said the golf and tennis center is a recreational asset for the region.

“People who live in the central part of the San Fernando Valley are crying out for the preservation of this open space,” Weiss said. “Once the open space is gone in Los Angeles, it is gone.”