Weddington Golf & Tennis Threatened by Development

For more than 65 years, residents of the San Fernando Valley and the surrounding areas have enjoyed the recreational facilities at Weddington Golf & Tennis, batting tennis balls on the pristine courts or zinging Titleists across the Par 3 golf course and driving range. However, this “crown jewel” on the banks of the Los Angeles River in Studio City is being significantly threatened by development.

In 2008, the owners of the property first submitted a proposal to the City of Los Angeles to replace the tennis courts with a senior residence condominium complex consisting of six four-story buildings, 200 residential units and 635 parking spaces. Now, a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), issued on July 31, 2014, also includes a plan to “subdivide the Project site in order to create two functional parcels (Lots 1 and 2) for future development and management, as well as for residential condominiums on Lot 2.” The owners are paving the way for development of Lot 2 by lobbying for a zone change on the property from A1-1XL (Agricultural) to R3-1 (Multi-Residential).

This DEIR is one of the last steps in the planning process before the proposed changes are vetted by the City of Los Angeles City Planning Commission and voted upon by the Los Angeles City Council. Not surprisingly, the backlash against development has been growing.

Leading the charge to prevent the condominium construction is Save LA River Open Space (SLAROS), a sister organization of the Studio City Residents Association, comprised of Valley residents and community activists dedicated to preserving the last 16 acres of unprotected open space along the Los Angeles River in the San Fernando Valley.

SLAROS has commissioned its own development impact report, which determined that building a 200-unit condominium complex would:

• Destroy rare, irreplaceable open space
• Demolish ALL 16 tennis courts
• Increase traffic and congestion on already crowded streets
• Block the best possible site for regional public access to the Los Angeles River and river trails
• Deter the ability to improve water quality at the Los Angeles River runoff site
• Obscure views and airflow
• Increase urban heating
• Put a serious “hole” in the 51-mile Los Angeles River Greenway

SLAROS is in the process of galvanizing community support against the development and encouraging the public to comment on the DEIR before the September 30th deadline. The organization also continues to pursue an alternate, long-term vision for the property: the Los Angeles River Natural Park, which would include tennis and golf facilities.

More information about SLAROS and its fight to preserve the open space at Weddington Golf & Tennis, as well as instructions regarding where to send public comments about the DEIR, can be found at www.SaveLARiverOpenSpace.org.