Benefits

Oakdale Estates will provide the following benefits to the Woodland Hills and Tarzana communities and the local neighborhood.

Preserving the past

The property owner, through a combination of donation of land to the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (MRCA) and dedication of an open space easement, is preserving approximately 1/3 of the property for the benefit of the community. The donation of land is voluntary due to discussions between Borstein Enterprises, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and the local community.

• MRCA Donation – Upon approval of the proposed project, 4.15 acres of the property (the “Preserved Property”) will be donated to the MRCA free and clear to be used as a public space and professionally managed by the MRCA, a regional public agency.
• Open Space Easement – To embrace the property’s prior use, an approximately 1/3-acre permanent open space easement for two rows of citrus trees will be located along Oakdale Avenue in view of the neighborhood.
• Property Upgrades – In addition to the donation of the land, the owner is contributing up to $400,000 towards improvements to the Preserved Property. This includes updating the irrigation system, cleaning up debris, upgrading utilities, etc.

Improving local Infrastructure

The project is making local improvements to the surrounding public infrastructure, such as widening streets, adding sidewalks, and landscaped parkways, streetlights, curbs, and gutters to Oakdale Avenue and Collier Street abutting the property. These improvements will enhance public safety in the neighborhood.

Collier Street – To the south of the site, Collier Street will be widened from its current half-street condition to full width. Additionally, an enhanced landscape parkway is being added. This widening will greatly benefit the neighborhood, given that the half street is a source of congestion during pickup hours for the adjacent elementary school.

Oakdale Avenue - While preserving 15 of 19 existing palm trees, Oakdale Avenue will be widened to city-approved standards with a full curb, gutter, enhanced parkway, streetlights, and a sidewalk.

Fewer Homes Than Allowed By Zoning

The project conforms to the existing zoning and general plan; the proposed density is 23% less than the amount permitted under the zoning. The RA-1 zoning would allow by-right 29-homes, and higher density proposals were proposed by prior interested buyers of the property. The developer respects the importance of the citrus grove and, with feedback from the City Council office and community, designed this 21-home project that preserves 1/3 of the property as open space.

Sustainability

The common areas and new homes will include state-of-the-art sustainable features and green technology. Drought tolerant, indigenous landscaping will be used throughout the community and by replacing the citrus grove with houses, water usage can be reduced by over 400% of what would be needed to irrigate a commercial citrus grove. The common area street will include a water recapture and reuse system that captures rainwater, filters the water, and then reuses the captured water to irrigate the common area landscaping and citrus trees.

The homes will meet CAL-green building standards and use roughly a third less energy than older homes of similar size. The front yards of the homes will be beautifully landscaped with drought-tolerant landscaping, and each home will include a 2,500-gallon cistern system to collect rainwater on each lot for reuse as irrigation.

The homes will meet cool roof standards to reduce heat reflection into the atmosphere. The latest home technology, including EV Chargers and smart home devices will be included along with other technology such as solar systems with Energy Storage System compatibility, water efficient fixtures, High-efficiency windows and insulation, HVAC systems and water heaters, and smart appliances are included.

Community Outreach

Early in the process, the developer reached out to local neighbors, stakeholders, the City Council office, MRCA and city officials to gain perspective on the property. While preparing the project plans, the developer had numerous meetings with the neighbors and community members, translating into several plan changes based on their feedback.

The developer consulted with both the Woodland Hills, Warner Center Neighborhood Council and the Tarzana Neighborhood Council. Both neighborhood Councils provided feedback, held open hearings and voted unanimously (12 to 0 and 13 to 0, respectively) to recommend approval of the Oakdale Estates project.

The developer continues to meet with its neighbors and work with city officials.