Angeles Chapter Sierra Club
Crescenta Valley Group Conservation
Verdugo Hills Golf Course
Background:
The proposed impact area is 70 acres in the northwest section of the Verdugo Mountains. This area falls entirely within the City of Los Angeles. Structures were first built on the site by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933. During World War II, the facilities were used as a temporary internment camp housing Japanese-American citizens being deported to internment camps in other parts of the country. In 1944, the Los Angeles County Probation Department took over 10 acres as a center for male juvenile delinquents. The buildings built by the CCC and used as an internment camp were eventually torn down.
In 1959, the county sold the property for $54,000 to a group of investors, who turned it into Verdugo Hills Golf Course. Approximately, half the land is being used as a golf course and the other half is undisturbed open space. The natural resources on the site have not been surveyed, but this parcel is an important part of the Verdugo Mountain ecosystem.
The developer purchased the property from a group of investors in August 2004 for $7,669,000. The developer (MWH Development) is proposing clustering 269 condo units primarily in the area currently being used as the golf course. MWH currently owns the Verdugo Hills Golf Course in an operating entity known as Snowball Investments West.
Progress:
A coalition of concerned citizens and organizations, including the Sierra Club, against the MWH development proposal was formed shortly after the proposal was made public. A draft environmental impact report (DEIR) was distributed during 2009. Public comments were submitted by concerned citizens as well as experts in each category of the DEIR. The final EIR (FEIR) is expected to be released. The public must review the FEIR to ensure that all comments submitted regarding the DEIR were adequately addressed.
Coming Up:
Look for the FEIR to be released.
How you can help:
For more information please visit the "Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course" website to find out how to contact your government representatives, volunteer your time, participate in fundraiser events, or make a donation to save this valuable asset.
Mountain Oaks Park (this project currently on hold!)
Background:
Mountain Oaks Park is an open space area located in La Crescenta/Glendale at the south end of New York Avenue. It is about 40 acres of land where wildlife and nature co-exist with the surrounding community. This area has changed hands of various developers for over 50 years with the constant threat that this last piece of privately owned open space will be lost forever to development. The most recent plan by the developer surfaced in August of 2006 when the community learned of it through the front page article in the Glendale News-Press. The plan called for a private high school and over 300 condominiums wedged into the 9 acres of meadow that lies within the property.
Progress:
Local activists, including the Sierra Club, led the community opposition to this project and have been in support of preserving this area as open space for everyone to enjoy. In December of 2008 the property reverted back to ownership of the previous developer who had also been unsuccessful in his plans for development.
Coming Up:
Ongoing dialogue with agencies such as the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the city of Glendale, and Los Angeles County to partner in purchasing this property to be maintained as open space.
