Chatsworth Happenings
Hidden Creek Development*
Article reprinted from the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council
Newsletter, "The Chatsworth Neighborhood Roundup"
May 22, 2008 edition
To subscribe to the "Roundup"
Click Here
HIDDEN CREEKS ESTATES PLANS
FOR 188 HOUSES
INCLUDING 25 EQUESTRIAN LOTS
Hidden Creeks Estates
developers are planning a 188 single-family home gated community in
the hills due north of Chatsworth. It will be situated between
Browns Canyon and Porter Ranch.
To gain access to
utilities, developers need to have the land annexed in the City of
Los Angeles. Access will be through Porter Ranch on an extension of
Mason Avenue. A locked Browns Canyon gate will be available only to
fire and police department emergency vehicles.
The
Draft Environmental Impact Report has been reviewed by the Land
Use and Equestrian committees of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council
as well as by the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council. Both
Neighborhood Councils have raised concerns.
This is a view looking
from the north toward the proposed development site. The Renaissance
and Villagio developments are to the left of the image.
Of the 188 residential
lots, 25 will be 20,000-square-foot equestrian properties. The
average lot size in the project is 18,000 square feet, but lots can
be as small as 11,000 square feet. The development site is
approximately 285 acres, of which 118 acres will remain open space.
There will be a public 18-acre park with ball fields, restrooms, tot
lot, basketball courts, and a recreation building, developers said.
They want to negotiate
with a major building company to construct the luxury homes, or sell
the lots to buyers who want to build their own custom "dream homes,"
developers told the CNC Land Use Committee.
The Mountain Meadows
equestrian facility, on Browns Canyon Road at the southern edge of
the proposed development, will be remodeled to board 120 horses. The
existing operation can accommodate 80 horses. Developers told the
CNC Land Use Committee that they are buying the boarding facility
and plan a lease-back or resale to the current operators after
additional negotiations. There will also be a staging area adjacent
to the facility for local equestrians who want to ride the Hidden
Creeks trails that will connect to regional trails, they said. Fire
hydrants will be located at the staging area for emergency use in
Browns Canyon. The Developer's Project Description is available
online.
Porter Ranch stakeholders
expressed concerns about wildlife corridors and traffic on Mason
Avenue. Chatsworth Land Use Committee members questioned plans to
prohibit Hidden Creeks residents from breaching the southern
security gate and using Browns Canyon Road rather than Mason Avenue.
There were also questions about whether Mountain Meadows would
continue operations or shut down if the current management decides
to depart. Requests were made that construction include the latest
"green" and energy-saving technology. Provisions for water runoff
and the preservation of legally protected trees were also concerns.
The Chatsworth Equestrian Committee heard several comments about
whether existing trails would be closed for an extended time during
construction and whether expanding Mountain Meadows would create
more traffic on Browns Canyon Road.
Porter Ranch stakeholders
asked where the Hidden Creeks children would go to school.
Developers claimed that LAUSD said there was plenty of capacity and
that would not be an issue. However, another stakeholder said that
the community had gone to much trouble get a new school to serve
Porter Ranch. The community would be frustrated if 25% of the
school's capacity was taken up by Hidden Creeks students at the
expense of Porter Ranch students.
The developer hopes to
secure annexation by the City of Los Angeles by the end of 2008.
They told the CNC Land Use Committee that the process might take up
to two years. They were advised at the Land Use meeting that
movement on annexation might take considerably longer.
You may review the Draft
Environmental Impact Report at the Porter Ranch and Chatsworth
Libraries or
online,
on the menu select "Environmental," then "Draft Environmental Impact
Reports."
The deadline for
stakeholders to submit written comments about the project has been
extended until 5 p.m., June 30.
Comments should be sent to:
Nicholas Hendricks,
Environmental Review Coordinator, Department of City Planning, 6262
Van Nuys Blvd, Room 351, Van Nuys, CA 91401, (818) 374-5046.
The
Chatsworth Neighborhood Council has also set up a convenient
email address for comments at
hiddencreeks@chatsworthcouncil.org. The CNC will collect all
your comments and forward them as a group message.
-- Porter
Ranch Neighborhood Council Newsletter contributed to this report.
See Item 8
B
Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Letter to Nick Hendricks
Back
to top
|