Council, School Board Settle Warner Dispute

The City Council and the Los Angeles Unified School District have agreed to settle a long-standing dispute that had threatened to block major developments in Warner Center.

The settlement, after more than four years of legal wrangling, will allow development to continue in Warner Center while the city completes its supplemental Environmental Impact Report, city officials said.

The council unanimously voted to accept the settlement Tuesday, one day after the school board approved the agreement.

“I think this is really a landmark moment,” said Councilwoman Laura Chick. “It hasn’t been easy and it hasn’t been expedient, but we’re finally there.”

Last year, in a significant victory for the school district, an appellate court ruled that the city erred in approving the Warner Center Specific Plan in 1993 without taking into account possible impacts of development on two district schools, Parkman Middle School and Canoga Park High School.

School board member Valerie Fields said the agreement offers assurances that possible adverse effects from development will be mitigated by the city.

“It was never our intention to do anything detrimental to the city,” Fields said.

“The district’s concern was always for the health and safety of the children and staff at those schools.”

Specifically, the district was concerned with the air quality and noise pollution that might result from increased traffic in the area.

Chick said the agreement will spur development because it removes the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the area.

“The dispute left the developers in complete disarray,” Chick said. “What we’ve done is craft an agreement that will let them go forward during the interim period.”