A proposed 400-home development on the Woodland Hills Country Club golf course in Los Angeles has been stalled by the City Council, which cited the presence of mountain lions as a primary reason for blocking the project. The decision halts plans by developer Arrimus Capital to build 398 residential units on the century-old golf course near the Santa Monica Mountains.
Wildlife and Fire Concerns Block Development
The project, which aimed to include 175 single-family homes, 189 rental apartments, and 34 rent-restricted apartments, was initially proposed under California's Assembly Bill 2011. This state housing law allows for a streamlined approval process for certain mixed-income multifamily projects on commercial land, potentially bypassing extensive city review.
However, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield argued that the golf course property serves as crucial habitat for mountain lions. "Due to a plethora of documentation from neighbors and a lot of biological and ecological research provided by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and other biological experts, the Planning Department just determined the Woodland Hills Country Club site is ‘wildlife habitat’ for the endangered Mountain Lion," Blumenfield stated in a newsletter to constituents. He also raised concerns about the property's location within a "very high" fire hazard severity zone, asserting that the state law was not intended for projects with such risks.
Blumenfield further contended that using Assembly Bill 2011 would circumvent the city's standard review process, which includes community input, environmental impact assessments, and fire safety evaluations. The determination that the site is endangered species habitat was sufficient to mandate a more conventional, lengthier approval process.
Developer Vows Legal Action
Arrimus Capital expressed its intention to file a lawsuit in response to the city's decision. Aaron Green, a representative for the developer, told the Los Angeles Times that the city is opposing Angelenos who need housing and that the claims about the golf course being mountain lion habitat are "false assertions."
In response to the threat of litigation, Blumenfield reiterated that "a plethora of information" supports the claim of the property being mountain lion habitat. He stated that the city's decision protects the Woodland Hills community.
The Woodland Hills Country Club was originally built by developer Victor Giraud in the mid-1920s. The property became a private club in 1945. Concerns about developing the golf course property into luxury homes were also reported in the Los Angeles Times in 1988.