La Vina II, part 1: plan for new housing as contentious as ever

by Laura Monteros

The La Viña housing development, nestled in the hills above northwest Altadena, has been the center of a firestorm from the time plans were announced more than two decades ago to replace the La Viña Sanitarium with upscale residences in a gated community.  Recently, developer Cantwell-Anderson, Inc. filed new plans with the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning (DRP) — called La Vina II — seeking to build more houses and recreational amenities.

Naturally,  the flames reignited.

A neighborhood meeting was held in northwest Altadena on Jan. 17 for Cantwell-Anderson to present the plans for La Viña II and get community reaction to the project.  We attended the meeting and have since sought more input from Altadena residents, Cantwell-Anderson, and LA County.  Town Council members Damon Hobdy and Judy Matthews, who organized the meeting, did not respond to our requests for comment.

(The scope of this article is not to address past litigation nor current trail issues, but to provide information on the current proposal before the County.  Plans and documents can be found on the DRP website, http://planning.lacounty.gov/case/view/tr069504/).

What does Cantwell-Anderson have planned for the site?

La Vina II is a 7.18 acre parcel in the middle of the La Viña community.  The parcel was set aside for a private school with a capacity for 150 students and 250 daycare children when the plans for the original development, La Viña I, were approved.  Failing to find a school that is interested in the site, Cantwell Anderson applied to DRP for a revision to allow for more homes, which was presented at the Feb. 21, 2013 Subdivision Committee Meeting. Ownership of the parcel was variously described by Andrew Oliver, community representative for Cantwell-Anderson, as “an asset that belongs to Mr. [Tim] Cantwell” at the community meeting and as belonging to the Cantwell-Anderson partnership as part of the corporation, rather than a personal asset in a phone conversation on Feb. 4, 2015.

The plans call for 18 homes in the “mid-4,000 square feet” range according to Oliver, and a recreational area that includes a clubhouse and swimming pool.  Four of the houses will be one story to preserve the sight line for residents on Luna Court, and 14 are planned to be two story.  The houses will sell in the range of $1.5 million and require about a year to build.  Construction is expected to begin in 2016, the developer said.

Some current La Viña residents expressed concern that the new development would be separately gated and the recreational area would not be open to other La Viña residents, but Cantwell-Anderson insisted that will not be the case.

Nooshin Paidar, Supervising Regional Planner for DRP,  discussed the status of the plans for La Viña II and the process of changing the zoning from a private school in a conversation on Feb. 4, 2015.  Paidar said that, although the DRP is processing the plans, there are several holds on the project that must be cleared before the project can proceed.  One of the holds applies to the rezoning.

Paidar said that to her knowledge, school impact fees were not waived for La Viña I as some residents are asserting, and that all were paid when permits were pulled for the existing 272 houses.  Any new permits will require additional fees.

“To build 18 new homes instead of a school, they were asked to give us proof they did due diligence to look for schools,” she said.  “We don’t have that. They haven’t done that.  They would have to pay fees if houses are built.  They have to show convincing evidence that they did due diligence. We haven’t seen anything to review.”

To convert the zoning, a Regional Planning Report that lists applicable conditions would be prepared and Cantwell-Anderson would have to amend the development plan from recreation and school use to recreation and residential use.  A public hearing would then be held to gather responses to the plan to subdivide into 18 homes.

Tomorrow: a look at water use and traffic.