Locals Denied Input on West Los Angeles Development
of Veteran Administration Property

by Tom Freeman and Wendy-Sue Rosen

The Federal Veterans Administration ("VA") property in West Los Angeles spans approximately 400 acres adjacent to the West Los Angeles, Westwood and Brentwood communities. Remarkable as it may seem, those of us living in these areas have no meaningful say in the VA's plans to commercially develop the massive VA property in our neighborhood. Local activists urge all Westside residents to demand that the process be opened to those of us whose lives will be impacted. Any commercial development will have significant environmental and traffic-related impacts that should be considered by those with a stake in the community - in consultation with appointed officials and other experts in environmental and land-use planning.

Two years ago, federal VA administrators, acting without any local input, planned to dedicate most of the acreage to commercial development in the already congested area on both the north and south sides of Wilshire Blvd west of the 405. This 25-year master plan was to use the property for commercial development in order to raise funds for use elsewhere. The development plan called for a commercial metropolis more than twice the size of Century City. That plan would have required Congress to revoke the Cranston Act, which prevents any such development on 109 acres of the VA property.

Local elected officials, residents and businesses opposed this massive development. The impact on traffic and tranquility would have been devastating in an area already suffering from over-crowding and gridlock. Further, the VA property is a national and local treasure. The property was donated more than 100 years ago by the Jones-de-Baker family for a National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. The National Home and surrounding property feature stunning architecture, beautiful landscaping and abundant open space to provide a tranquil and rehabilitating residential community for disabled veterans. Indeed, the property has been designated a National Historic District. But the VA plan would have destroyed the integrity of this property, and violated the spirit of the donation.

Fortunately, the VA's ill-considered plan was stopped in its tracks due to vehement local protests. But the federal threat to bypass local land use and environmental regulation is back. Now, the property is subject to development under the VA Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services ("CARES") process. CARES appears to be a euphemism for a base closing-like process, whereby federal VA assets can potentially be sold to the highest bidder, impervious to local land control restrictions or local input.

Under the CARES process, the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration is proposing to establish an internal Land Use Planning Advisory Committee to approve the future development of the VA property. Significantly, under that proposal, the Committee would be comprised solely of VA health administrators. Excluded from the Committee would be local elected officials, veterans, land use planning experts and local stakeholders (i.e., local residents and businesses).

The process would be internal i.e., secret and not subject to any transparent land use planning process. By excluding all but the VA bureaucrats, this is a process likely to lead to the piecemeal sale of the property for commercial development, regardless of the local residential and commercial impact, preservation of the historic property's integrity, or the donating family's intent. The CARES land-use committee must be rejected and the promised new 25-year master plan must be established through a process that brings all stakeholders to the table.

Flora Gil Krisiloff, Chairperson of the Brentwood Community Council, Westside homeowner groups, and area activists urge local residents and businesses to demand the CARES process be replaced with a process that provides meaningful local representation and input.

Letters of protest have already been written by County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Congressman Henry Waxman (signed by Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein).

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EDITOR'S NOTE: To be a signatory to a letter demanding local input in the process, please contact Wendy-Sue Rosen at rosenfree@aol.com or feel free to call her at 310 / 476-2604.

She will send or fax a draft letter for you to sign, and she will forward it to the appropriate authorities.