SCHOOL LOBBYIST HITS PAY DIRT CRITICS SEE CONFLICT IN REPRESENTING BOTH LAUSD AND ITS CONTRACTORS.

Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS -- The roar of a hockey game, din of a rock concert, the thunder of 10,000 circus fans.

Such spectacles, now available only downtown, could enliven a sports and entertainment arena proposed for the west San Fernando Valley, according to its promoter.

``It would be our Staples, our Disney Hall,'' said Mark Steele of his plan for the Oasis Event Center. ``The San Fernando Valley does not have an iconic landmark building to call its own.

``We are the equivalent of the sixth-largest city in the country, yet we don't have a single pro sports team or major collegiate or family entertainment venue.''

After more than a decade of false starts for Oasis from Northridge to North Hollywood, Steele has set his sights on the Warner Center in Woodland Hills.

Last month, Steele told Valley business leaders he'd like to build his $100 million arena either at Pierce College, or sites owned by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne or Northrop Grumman.

On Wednesday, the former music industry producer will attempt to sell his arena concept to the Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council.

Without Neighborhood Council support, City Councilman Dennis Zine said he will refuse to consider the proposal.

And without Zine's support, planners say, the City Council won't open its doors on the Oasis arena plan.

``I believe he's had a little problem gaining momentum,'' said Bob Scott, chair of the Livable Communities Council of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, which hosted a Steele presentation last month.

``People in the San Fernando Valley have gotten burned in the past with investments and proposals that didn't get off on the right foot.''

But that hasn't deterred Steele, who has worked to build his arena ever since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

He approached California State University, Northridge, which opted for a retail center instead.

He planned it for west Woodland Hills, but the deal sank when media reports drove up land prices.

He tried North Hollywood -- spending $250,000 to develop a proposal for property owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- only to be told his ``mini-Staples of the Valley'' wouldn't blend well with the NoHo arts district.

``It was political forces, not the public, that was against this project,'' said Steele, 42, a Valley native who lives in Woodland Hills.

The Oasis, to be designed by architect Ron Turner of Staples Center fame, appears in concept like a metal-clad ice cube.

The 110-foot-high, 3-acre arena would draw up to 10,000 fans three times a week for family-oriented events from minor league hockey, CSUN basketball and circuses to Easter Sunday mega-sermons.

Steele projects the Oasis to generate at least $91 million in taxable sales revenue for the center and surrounding businesses.

Proceeds would also go to The Oasis Foundation, benefitting local charities, he said.

Steele, whose sports authority is composed of 10 silent partners, said he's got $200 million in financing lined up through an unidentified pension fund.

He stressed that although he's discussed his proposal with officials at Pierce College, Rocketdyne and Northrup Grumman on Canoga Avenue near the 101 Freeway, no real estate negotiations have taken place.

Many expressed skepticism about its effect on the West Valley community.

``This community considers Pierce College its Central Park,'' said Dennis Washburn, director of the Foundation for Pierce College, who has spoken with Steele. ``Would a New Yorker let you put a stadium in the middle of Central Park?''

Zine said he doubted residents would support such a project.

``It'll have a big impact on the community, lots of traffic, environmental concerns, quality-of-life concerns,'' said Zine.

``I don't support any of his proposed sites. If the neighborhood council shoots this down, obviously there's no discussion.''

August Steurer, vice chairman of the Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council, said he was concerned the Oasis would not fit in with the area's specific plan.

``My personal opinion is that it doesn't quite go, because we're trying to keep the industrial (zones) industrial, but we have little to go on,'' he said.

Steele said he's got solutions for traffic and other challenges posed by the arena.

``Every site that you look at has different dynamics and challenges you need to overcome,'' said Steele, who now works full time on the project. ``We will produce major shows, we will produce world-class sports entertainment and cultural events for the Valley -- for the first time.''

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2) Mark Steele, CEO of the Valley Sports Authority LLC, stands with the Woodland Hills skyline in the background. Steele wants to build an Oasis Event Center in Woodland Hills. A rendering is shown below.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer