Article by Nick Green - Daily Breeze – Wednesday, November 14, 2006

Urban village project in RHE draws protests

A planned urban village in Rolling Hills Estates is drawing a skeptical, if not downright hostile, reception from residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
More than 50 residents packed council chambers Monday to give their views on a proposal to turn the small city's downtown into a mixed-use enclave that could include as many as 900 condominiums and apartments.
There are none today, although two projects providing more than 100 condos are under way.
As well, about 400,000 more square feet of commercial and retail space than exists today could eventually be built as the village gradually takes shape over the next two decades.
But residents' reviews of a recently released draft environmental analysis on the plan, provided in an informal question-and-answer session where speakers were not required to give their names were not positive.
"In my wildest imagination I can't imagine how parking is going to be provided,” said one man.
“Whatever happened to our wonderful Peninsula and its rural-residential profile?” lamented Nancy Ganahl, a 40-year resident of what's now a Rancho Palos Verdes neighborhood bordering the area.
She pointed out that part of Rolling Hills Estates' stated mission is to preserve its rural, equestrian charm.
"I don't think anybody would say that's rural, what you're proposing” added another speaker.
“Is what's up there now, rural?” shot back Planning Director David Wahba of the collection of humdrum strip malls and aging office buildings.
A major hurdle remains convincing local residents, who mainly live in large, rambling homes on sprawling lots and need a car to get virtually anywhere, that a densely populated, walkable urban core constitutes what's dubbed smart growth.
The biggest concern, predictably enough, in a city where two lane Palos Verdes Drive North is choked with vehicles much of the day, was traffic.
Most significantly impacted: the already overburdened intersection of Pacific Coast Highway. and Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance.
Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Steve Wolowicz, who conceded he was not a fan of a plan intended to reduce traffic when compared to typical suburban development, was among the most vocal critics at the meeting.
“The residents of the city of Rancho Palos Verdes are most affected by your project,” he said.
"We're going to have quit6 a bottleneck here.”
The outpouring of scorn kept Wahba on the defensive.
“Let's try to keep this orderly, folks. I know traffic is a big concern,” he said at one point.
"Realistically, I'm not even sure we would build 900 units,” he added, noting that an alternate plan under consideration would reduce the number of homes by 20 percent, to about 720 condominiums and apartments.
Under state law, officials are required to respond to all comments and include them in a final environmental analysis for what's called the Peninsula Village Overlay Zone.
That's expected to be finished by early next year.