Councilmember LaBonge answers questions and hears concerns of valley constituents

Councilmember LaBonge addressing valley residents and leaders at the CD4 Valley Leadership Breakfast

The NBC/Universal project and phase three of NoHo Redevelopment were the hot topics at Councilmember LaBonge's CD4 Valley leadership breakfast Thursday morning held at the Lankershim Arts Theater. NoHo Redevelopment and the changes it has brought to this southeast corner of the SFV garnered mostly positive comments from those in attendance, while a pending proposal to build towers on the existing MTA stop at Universal Studios elicited the opposite reaction.

Those most affected, residents of the Cahuenga Pass, Toluca Lake and North Hollywood, along with neighborhoods on both side of currently congested Barham Boulevard, have expressed strong opposition to the project to excerbating congestion and traffic. They seek traffic mitigation measures to be instituted before any construction is approved. Some leaders expressed a wish to have no development at all on the MTA site and instead have the towers build on the existing studio acreage. The councilmember acknowleged the logic of this suggestion, but said it was unrealistic. "(Mayor Villaraigosa) wants it and so do other decision makers. What we can do is work with the developer as this go through its lengthly EIR to have our concerns addressed." As the EIR is not complete, neither the council office or the public cannot comment on the specifics of the design, scope or impact on the community. The EIR is expected to be made public in Spring.