WOODLAND HILLS : Board Requests Delay on Warner Center Plan

Concerned over the possibility of additional noise and pollution close to two of its campuses, the Los Angeles Board of Education asked the Los Angeles City Council on Monday to delay approval of the Warner Center Specific Plan until the needs of the schools are better taken into account.

The board unanimously approved a motion by members Julie Korenstein and Mark Slavkin stating that efforts to mitigate the effects of future development on local schools had “not been adequately provided” in the city’s environmental review of the Woodland Hills project.

Increased traffic would cause noise and pollution levels to rise to unacceptable levels at nearby Parkman Middle School and Canoga Park High School, according to the statement.

A “thorough analysis” of the impact of the plan on the two schools is necessary, as well as proposals to help shield students from greater noise and air emissions, such as through the use of air-filtration systems, according to the statement.

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission approved the specific plan last year as a guide for development in the commercial center over the next two decades. Debate over the plan focused on how much developers would be allowed to build in Warner Center--which already includes hotels, office space and apartment complexes--and how much they would have to pay for street improvements to handle increased traffic.

The plan is now pending before the City Council.