A proposed 398-home development on the Woodland Hills Country Club golf course has been stalled after the city's Planning Department designated the site as endangered mountain lion habitat, forcing the developer into a lengthy conventional approval process instead of fast-tracking under state housing law.
WOODLAND HILLS — Mountain lions have the right of way in Woodland Hills, at least for now. A proposed 398-home development on the century-old Woodland Hills Country Club golf course has hit a significant roadblock after the city's Planning Department determined the site constitutes habitat for the endangered species.
The designation forces developer Arrium Capital, a Newport Beach-based real estate private equity firm, into the lengthy conventional city approval process instead of fast-tracking the project under Assembly Bill 2011, a 2023 state law designed to expedite multifamily housing on commercial corridors.
"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," said City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents Woodland Hills and other West San Fernando Valley neighborhoods. "Determining that the project is proposed on endangered species habitat was enough" to prevent a ministerial approval, he said.
Blumenfield and colleagues also voted 11-1 Friday to direct city attorneys and planning staff to prepare an interim control ordinance (ICO) that would amend the zoning code for A-1 zones, or agricultural and residential zones, and exclude vacant lots such as golf courses from redevelopment under the existing zoning code. The vote was the only dissenting vote from Councilwoman Nithya Raman, with colleagues Hugo Soto-Martinez, Eunisses Hernandez and John Lee absent.
The ICO would prohibit approvals and permits for demolition, building, grading, and other permits on parcels in A-1 zones near sensitive areas, such as very high fire severity zones and hillsides. The Department of City Planning is expected to produce the ordinance for a council vote, with a potential 45-day implementation period extendable for a year.
The 4868 Canoga Avenue project, as it is known, would build 398 homes on 20 acres of the club's 93-acre site at 21150 Dumetz Road. The plan includes 175 for-sale, three-story detached single-family homes and 214 rental apartments in four-story buildings, including 97 affordable housing units (32 for seniors and 65 for families). The development would include approximately 835 parking spots, internal streets, green space, and more than 55,900 square feet of open space.
Arrium Capital submitted its application in November 2025, seeking to use AB 2011 to bypass the city's discretionary review process. The state law provides a faster ministerial approval process for multifamily housing projects located along certain commercial corridors.
Arrium Capital representative Aaron Green dismissed the city's determination, calling it "an affront to Angelenos who are in desperate need of real housing opportunities."
"I've heard some creative excuses for blocking housing in Los Angeles, but golfing mountain lions may take the prize," Green said. "The city has left us with no choice but to file a lawsuit to enforce the law."
Green said technical experts consulted by Arrium "all came to the same conclusion, that the project site is not protected biological habitat," and warned that "when the city loses in court, it will be required to approve the project and pay millions of dollars in fines."
Blumenfield responded that "while it's likely that the developer will sue the city to fight this determination, the decision from the Planning Department puts the city, and our community, in a good position."
Woodland Hills residents have raised concerns about the project's safety, citing the golf course's location in a "very high" fire hazard severity zone, just a few miles from the Palisades and Woolsey burn scars. Some community members initiated petitions, held meetings, and lobbied City Council members to oppose the project.
Blumenfield's office has sent letters to state lawmakers on the issue. In a statement, the office said the goal is "for the city to have discretion over a proposal that would wedge hundreds of units against the Santa Monica Mountains."
Housing advocates, however, criticized the effort. Azeen Khanmalek, executive director of Abundant Housing LA, wrote a letter to the City Council urging them to oppose Blumenfield's ICO, arguing that "interfering with proposed projects does not only delay housing. It can imperil funding and sends a message to builders that, despite a historic housing shortage, the city is closed to business."
"I fully support multi-family housing, and I have supported affordable housing and permanent supportive housing sites in each community in my district," Blumenfield said. "Building dense housing in appropriate locations is why I fought so hard to get the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan through — so we have a designated urban commercial core where large-scale developments like this are welcome."
The Woodland Hills Country Club, built in the mid-1920s by local developer Victor Giraud, has faced housing conversion proposals for decades. Giraud originally gave away free club memberships to people buying lots in his housing tract, and the course was turned into a private country club in 1945.
In 1988, The Times reported that an unnamed developer hoped to buy the then member-owned club and convert the property to luxury single-family homes.
"We'll go to the wall to keep it open space," said Gordon Murley, president of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization, at the time. "We'll fight that to the bitter end. It's a greenbelt that's sadly needed in the area."
This article was generated with AI assistance.