LAS LOMAS BLOCKED PROJECT WOULD HAVE COVERED NEWHALL PASS.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Los Angeles and Santa Clarita officials have quietly cut a deal to split jurisdiction of 555 acres in the Newhall Pass, effectively blocking the 5,800-home Las Lomas project proposed for the steep hills between the cities.

Leaders from the two cities and Los Angeles County began meeting last month to air their concerns about the development - which would generate an estimated 44,000 car trips a day by residents of the proposed minicity.

Parties involved in the negotiations said they have reached an informal agreement to divide the land along the ridgeline and impose strict zoning requirements that would prevent Las Lomas from being developed as proposed.

``There did not appear to be any support for Las Lomas by any of the three jurisdictions,'' said Michael Murphy, Santa Clarita's intergovernmental relations officer. ``Las Lomas probably drove the parties to come together.''

Las Lomas developer Dan Palmer did not return calls seeking comment.

Palmer Investments has been working since 1998 on the plan, which would build homes, apartments, shopping centers and offices on what is currently unincorporated county land between the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways.

Palmer applied in 2002 to annex the 555 acres to the city of Los Angeles, hoping to tap into the city's plentiful water supply.

Santa Clarita tried to stop Las Lomas by annexing the land before Palmer could join the city of Los Angeles. But a Superior Court judge blocked Santa Clarita's efforts on procedural grounds in April. Meanwhile, Palmer wasn't getting much support from Los Angeles either.

Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith, who represents a portion of the northern San Fernando Valley, was an early opponent of Las Lomas.

Council President Alex Padilla, whose district also lies adjacent to the Las Lomas property, decided earlier this year he would not support Las Lomas because it would destroy open space and prove difficult to deliver services.

Under the tentative agreement, the two cities would split the Newhall Pass area along the ridgeline. Santa Clarita would annex about 75 percent of the property north of the Santa Susana Mountains and zone it to allow no more than one house per two acres.

Los Angeles would bring the remaining 25 percent of the property into its sphere of influence, giving the city the opportunity to review projects and first rights to annex property within the zone.

Padilla said he wants to maintain that steep land as open space - an option that could further impact Palmer's chances to develop his mini city.

``I don't know technically if Las Lomas is alive or dead. That's up to the developer,'' Padilla said Tuesday.

Las Lomas opponents praised the cities' tentative agreement, saying it opens the door to preserving the last open space between Santa Clarita and the city of Los Angeles.

An environmental impact report determined the project would rip out nearly 3,000 oaks trees and carve out 20 million cubic yards of dirt. County officials had warned the land was too steep and unstable to build dense housing.

``It saves us in the environmental community a huge fight as we were gearing up to go to war,'' said Bart Reed, who was organizing a Stop Las Lomas effort for the Sierra Club's Angeles Chapter.

Los Angeles has already begun work to enlarge its sphere of influence by including roughly 30 square miles of unincorporated area along the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley, from Chatsworth to Lake View Terrace.

However, some San Fernando Valley residents worry the sphere of influence will lead to annexation and rampant development on the foothills north of Chatsworth and Porter Ranch.

``I believe Los Angeles wants development there,'' said Kim Thompson, a Granada Hills activist. ``I want the whole ridgeline protected.

``If we don't, it'll be like the Hollywood Hills. It'll grow out of control.''

Councilman Smith said the sphere of influence will not open the area to growth.

``If anything, it would retard growth. We have much more stringent growth guidelines than the county,'' Smith said, adding that much of the hills north of the city boundary is owned by The Gas Co. or is parkland that will not be developed.

Instead, Smith said, the sphere of influence expansion would give the city more input on proposed county developments, such as the 375-home Deerlake Ranch north of Chatsworth.

``Without the sphere of influence, we have no place at the table.''

The Los Angeles Planning Department recently completed an environmental review on the sphere of influence proposal and the City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee is expected to vote on it in January.

The county's Local Agency Formation Formation Commission, which approves annexations, will ultimately vote on the sphere of influence change.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, map

Photo:

(1 -- ran in SAC edition only) The proposed Las Lomas minicity would have run close to The Old Road at Weldon Canyon, at the edge of the Newhall Pass next to the northbound Golden State Freeway.

(2 -- color -- ran in Valley edition only) Local governments aim to stop a new minicity in the Newhall Pass.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Map:

Proposed Las Lomas development

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