Developer Plans 188 New Homes Northeast of Browns Canyon Road

Developers of a proposed 188-home community northeast of Browns Canyon Road in Chatsworth Tuesday briefed 50 people at the Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council on their latest plans.

Land for the gated community is in Los Angeles County, but the developer needs to annex it into the city of Los Angeles to access city water, electricity and sewer service. They said the ZIP Code would be Chatsworth's 91311, but they wanted the address to be Porter Ranch. The main entrance would be on an extension of Mason Avenue in Porter Ranch.

Representatives of the developer, Forestar Real Estate Co., said that public hearings should begin this summer on Hidden Creeks Estates & Preserve, but it would be several years before construction begins. They also promised to meet with the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council and its equestrian and land use committees.

Spokesman Michael Sanders estimated the homes would be priced between $1.3 million to $2.5 million based on a normal real estate market.

Of the 188 homes, 25 at the southern end of the project are reserved for horse-keeping. The average lot size is 18,500 square feet. The site is about 2 miles north of Sesnon Avenue.  The developers have set aside 114-acres as dedicated open space, much of which is unbuildable.

Representatives said the project would bring $229 million in community investment, nearly $4 million in new fees to support local schools, 4,360 new construction jobs and $4.7 million in annual sales and property tax revenue to the cash-strapped city of Los Angeles.

Mary Kaufman, chair of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council Equestrian Committee, said not much in the proposal has changed in the past few years.

“I’m against the project as far as I know the project today. I don’t think we need a development in those hills,” Kaufman said. “The scenic views must be preserved.”

Charlotte Brodie, trails coordinator for ETI Corral 54, the Chatsworth chapter of a national nonprofit equestrian organization, is concerned about the destruction of the open space.

“Once we lose the open space, it’s gone forever,” Brodie said.

More than 5,000 trees are expected to be planted by the developer, some of which will replace trees that are removed to build the community.

Two miles of hiking and horseback riding trails would be open to the public around most of the development and could become a loop when Shapell Homes, developer of Porter Ranch, eventually builds out to the west.

The development would include a 19-acre park with sports fields, a community meeting room, a basketball court, a tot-lot and picnic areas.

The existing Mountain Meadows Equestrian Center will be rebuilt to include two arenas and 120 stalls. Now it accommodates 80 horses. It will be accessible to the public outside of the gated community.

The developer plans a new staging area for horse trailers, 13 turnouts on Browns Canyon Road for firefighters, 30 additional fire hydrants and a water tank that holds 1 million gallons.

For more details about the development, visit www.hidden-creeks.com, or Draft Environmental Impact Report.