Sylmar Condo Project Gets OK
Giving the Los Angeles housing construction boom another boost Friday, the City Council approved a development of 780 condominiums and apartments in Sylmar, including dozens of units for low- and moderate-income residents.
The developers of the Legends of Cascades housing project voluntarily set aside 10% of the units as affordable housing, a step that could be mandated for future projects if the council approves an inclusionary zoning ordinance pending at City Hall.
Council President Alex Padilla called the project in his district “a breakthrough housing development,” adding that “inclusionary zoning clearly pencils out for this housing development.”
The project includes 550 condominiums and 230 apartments on 83 acres at 16325 Silver Oaks Drive, as well as horse trails, parkland and a fire station near Balboa and Foothill boulevards.
The developer, Royal Clark Development Co., won preliminary council approval of a General Plan amendment to build the housing around an existing golf course. There was no opposition during the hearing Friday.
“We’re excited about it. It’s a country club atmosphere up there,” said Bonnie Bernard, a member of the Sylmar Neighborhood Council.
Bernard said community concerns expressed earlier about traffic were addressed by the developers.
The project is the latest in a series of developments that are part of a dramatic rise in residential construction in Los Angeles.
The number of housing units for which permits were issued in Los Angeles has risen from 5,685 in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2002, to 10,631 in the fiscal year that ended this June 30.
Mayor James K. Hahn has predicted the city will issue permits for 12,000 residential units this year.
Many units, about 11,500 in the last four years, have been built with financial assistance from the city, including loans from Los Angeles’ Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
However, the project approved by the City Council on Friday does not include any city subsidy, which Padilla said was a measure of the strength of the private housing market.
