Which Way, L.A.?
The Ahmanson Ranch
The proposed Ahmanson Ranch, which sits on 12,800 acres at the eastern edge of Ventura County, would consist of 3050 homes, a hotel, two golf courses, and 400,000 square feet of commercial space. Developers tout it as a huge but carefully planned community with massive open space. Critics have fought the project for 15 years, fearful that its urban sprawl will add thousands of cars to an already strained 101 Freeway, and pollute the nearby creek and ocean. We look at the cost and politics of balancing housing needs and environmental concerns with the lead attorney for the project, city officials from Calabasas and Thousand Oaks, and a land-use activist. (Taped before a live audience as part of the LA County Bar Association's annual Environmental Law Symposium.)
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readFirst approved in 1992, the Ahmanson Ranch project has hit hurdle after hurdle in its effort to provide a model solution for Southern California's housing needs. Developers of the Ranch call their project, "an opportunity to get away from the type of suburban development our parents and grandparents grew up with." In addition to carefully laid out "clusters," it has allocated 85-percent of its site to open space, providing 10,000 acres of new public lands. Ground breaking for the 2,800 acre residential and commercial Ahmanson Ranch could begin as early as next year but local residents, environmentalists, politicians and activist celebrities are up in arms. They have fought for 15 years, believing the project will destroy one of Southern California's last remaining open spaces. By their estimates the project will add thousands of cars to an already strained 101 Freeway, and pollute the nearby creek and ocean.
