At an LA City Planning Commission hearing, Woodland Hills residents clashed with a developer seeking to convert a single-family home near Taft High School into a 71-unit senior living facility, arguing the project violates neighborhood character.
Woodland Hills, CA — A heated standoff between neighbors and a developer erupted at a Los Angeles City Planning Commission hearing last week, as residents voiced strong opposition to a proposed 71-unit senior living facility that would replace a single-family home on Del Moreno Drive.
Akhilesh Jah and his wife, Janet, are seeking to convert the 4-bedroom, 3-bath residence into a senior living facility complete with a cafeteria and medical office. The property sits across from Taft High School, with a residential neighborhood on one side and commercial structures bordering Ventura Boulevard on the other.
The development would include no parking spaces and would be located within an LAFD fire zone, two factors that neighbors say make the project untenable in their residential neighborhood.
City planning commissioners said their hands are tied because California's state housing laws allow developers who promise to include low-income housing in their projects to bypass local parking, density, and other zoning requirements.
Jah told FOX 11 that the project includes eight low-income housing units, which qualifies him under state law to apply for variances overriding local zoning codes that govern height, density, and parking.
Most of the variances Jah sought were approved by the planning commission, but he said he still faces at least two years of additional hearings and permitting before construction can begin.
Neighbors, who spoke at the hearing, said the developer is using state law as a tool to destroy the neighborhood character for profit. They vowed to continue fighting the project at every stage of the approval process.
The dispute reflects a growing pattern across California, where developers are leveraging state housing streamlining laws to override local zoning ordinances by including a minimum number of affordable or low-income units in their projects.
The outcome of the permitting process will be closely watched by community members on both sides of the issue, as it could set a precedent for similar proposals in the neighborhood.
This article was generated with AI assistance.