Las Lomas developer offers funds to expedite approval process.

The Las Lomas mega-development planned for the area south of the Santa Clarita Valley along the I-5 freeway has been stalled for years amongst lawsuits, political posturing and environmental impact reports.

In a new move, developer Dan Palmer has requested "to pay the city of Los Angeles to focus city planners on the project and help speed up review" according to the Daily News. While it’s apparently not unusual for developers to help cover the costs of Los Angeles City staff’s time on larger projects, asking to expedite the approval process by paying staff salaries sounds pretty close to bribery to me.

Richard Alarcon, the Los Angeles City Supervisor who will likely enjoy having the revenues from the Las Lomas project in his territory if it ever gets approved, says of this plan: "It seemed a good idea to reduce the burden on the taxpayers." Well, that’s one way to get around campaign contribution limits: Offer to pay the guy’s staffers instead!

The Las Lomas project area lies within the Los Angeles County area close to the Santa Clarita City borders, but Palmer intends to request annexation to the City of  Los Angeles once his project is approved. The City of Santa Clarita attempted to extend its Sphere of Influence to cover this area earlier this year, but this request was denied. The project spans 550 acres and plans for 5,500 homes along with along with stores, a hotel, a Metrolink station and a charter school.

The project as proposed would far exceed the area’s current zoning guidelines for the number of units allowed in a hillside development area. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s deputy Paul Novak says, "Supervisor Antonovich does not support any development of the property in excess of what is currently permitted by county’s general plan and zoning." And in spite of Alarcon’s apparent approval of the staff subsidy plan, he says of Las Lomas, "The project in its current form will never pass. I certainly can’t support it as it is."

Other Supervisors thankfully aren’t on board with the Las Lomas project either, including Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith. "This is way too dense for this area," Smith said. "It is bigger than Ahmanson Ranch on one-third of the land."

However, Alarcon’s camp may be more sympathetic to the Palmer issues, since Palmer Investments Executive Vice President Hilary Norton Orozco worked as a deputy for Alarcon in 1993 to 1995, the first time he was on the City Council.

Developer Palmer claims that the project is "Smart Growth", "Built on the human scale of a small town, it is intended to be an antidote to urban sprawl, with jobs, schools, parks, museums, shops, restaurants and community activities all within walking distance of each other, reducing the need for car trips." Others say that the Las Lomas project is more akin to  sprawl "dressed up with faux smart-growth features" and call it an "environmental disaster". 

Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Woo says, "There’s no smart-growth police going around saying, ‘This isn’t smart growth.’ So in the absence of a smart-growth police, it’s the Wild West out there, with people using any name they want."

According to Orozco, Palmer intends to reach out to community groups in Sylmar, Granada Hills, Pacoima and other parts of the northern San Fernando Valley for about a year, and then will make the push again for a vote for the approval of his project.

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