SOKA DEBATE REIGNITES OVER SPA RESORT PLANNED ACROSS STREET.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer Plans to build a luxury hotel and spa across the street from the newly-acquired Soka University Soka University (創価大学, Sōka Daigaku) is a private university located in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. The school was founded in 1969 and opened to undergraduate students in 1971 and opened a graduate school in 1975. have reignited the debate over development in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: see National Parks and Monuments (table). . Some neighbors and environmentalists see the 203-room Malibu Valley Inn and Spa as the region's next big battle - the continuation of the decade-long legal fight that stymied Soka's expansion plans and ultimately led to its purchase for $35 million this week by state and local agencies. But others welcome the proposal by longtime resident Brian Boudreau to build an equestrian-themed resort, restaurant, tennis club and health spa - a project expected to generate $1.4 million a year in tax revenue for Calabasas. ``It reminds me of some of these wonderful places up north, in the Napa Valley Napa Valley, Calif.: see under Napa. Napa Valley greatest wine-producing region of the United States. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2990] See : Wine ,'' said Helene Regen, president of the Calabasas Park Homeowners Association, which has not taken a position on the project. ``Personally, if it remains with minor, minor changes, I don't have a problem with the project. I think it would be good for the city.'' The city is taking public comment on the project's environmental impact report through May 10. The resort is proposed for 81 acres next to the 60-acre Malibu Valley Farms Equestrian Facility in unincorporated Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County. Boudreau wants to annex the land to Calabasas, which would receive city sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. and hotel occupancy Noun 1. hotel occupancy - occupancy rate for hotels occupancy rate - the percentage of all rental units (as in hotels) are occupied or rented at a given time tax revenue of about $1.4 million a year. The project is within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a vast patchwork of private land interspersed with state and national parks This is a list of national parks ordered by nation. Africa
County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. and the National Park Service have questioned the size and scope of the resort, which would be located across Mulholland Highway  This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers.Please [improve the article] or discuss this issue on the talk page. from the 588-acre Soka University campus. ``Now that Soka is just about nailed down, why would we not want to do everything we could to isolate that property that is so precious to the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. ?'' Yaroslavsky said. ``Why would we want to commercialize the property across the street from it?'' The National Park Service sent a letter to the city of Calabasas saying it supports the idea of overnight accommodations for visitors, but that the size of the Malibu Valley Inn would have a negative impact on the national recreation area. But Boudreau believes his resort is exactly what the Santa Monica Mountains area is lacking. ``My project is going to bring people to the national recreation area,'' he said. ``Now, there's nowhere to stay. There's nowhere to rent a bike. There's nowhere to rent a horse.'' More importantly, Boudreau said, he has an approved tract map to build 81 homes on the site and will do so if the Malibu Valley Inn and Spa isn't approved before January 2008, when the subdivision map expires. With the choice of a resort or an 81-home subdivision, the city was willing to consider the Malibu Valley Inn, said Maureen Tamuri, Calabasas' community development director. ``It's a much smaller project, a project half the size of the 81 homes. ... There's less grading, more open-space protection, revenue for the city, beneficial use next to the park.'' But some homeowners said the project would have the same square footage as three big-box warehouses. They also question whether the resort would have less impact than homes, especially on the summer days when the beach traffic on Las Virgenes Road is already heavy. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): map Map: Proposed Malibu Valley Inn and Spa Daily News |
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