OPPOSITION—Unwilling to Yield an Acre, Development Foe Fights on

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There have been any number of Playa Vista opponents over the years, but none more dogged than Marcia Hanscom, founder of the Wetlands Action Network. While her background is in communications, not ecology, she has been the primary voice behind opposition to the massive Westside project. And the 47-year-old Hanscom refuses to surrender in the face of numerous legal failures as well as the ongoing construction of the development’s first phase. She said the coalition fighting Playa Capital will not go away until construction is called off and the Ballona Wetlands are completely restored.

Christopher Keough


Question:

What are your main objections to the Playa Vista project?


Answer:

It’s a very complex question so it’s difficult to be simple about it, but the No. 1 issue that comes up for most of the residents in the area is traffic. And traffic, of course, translates into both water quality problems and air quality problems. The development would bring an additional 28 percent increase in traffic on the 405 Freeway and an 86 percent increase on Lincoln Boulevard. That also translates to 10 new tons of air pollution in the region every day. This project on the Westside affects the entire region.

Q: Why fight a battle over a property that’s already in the midst of a highly developed area?

A: This is one of very few coastal wetlands remaining in Southern California. We’ve lost 95 percent of our coastal wetlands in the state. We’ve lost 98 percent of our historical wetlands in Los Angeles County. That’s why we say we’ve already compromised enough and we want the entire 1,087 acres of land remaining to be acquired for the public and restored as park.

Q: Is there real cause for concern over the methane seeps on the site?

A: Those seeps were so high with methane levels that they’re highly explosive. If you build on top of them, and the gas gets trapped, you have high explosion potential. No one has ever mitigated a methane situation this large.

Q: Why did you dismiss out of hand an environmental review performed for the city of Los Angeles?

A: Because six out of seven of the reviewers were paid for and managed and supervised by the developers. They were the developers’ own consultants putting the information in.

Q: What about Playa Capital’s agreement to sell part of the site for preservation?

A: At this point we think the reason they’ve agreed to sell those parcels is that they are in a coastal zone and the Coastal Commission is not likely to give them approval for the permit that they needed.

Q: So it’s not out of the goodness of anyone’s heart?

A: They’re throwing out a number that’s absolutely ridiculous: $200 million for this little 193-acre parcel. They bought the whole entire property for $101 million.

Q: Is it possible Playa Capital will set a fair price?

A: Well, the Trust for Public Land is now doing an appraisal. Steve Soboroff told me they will know in December what the price will be. We have some concerns because the Trust for Public Land, while it has a really important role in environmental land acquisition, also acts like a real estate broker and gets 6 percent. We also have a concern because George Mihlsten, who is with Latham & Watkins, the attorneys who represent Playa Vista, is on the advisory board for Trust for Public Land.

Q: Who would you rather deal with: Peter Denniston, who is leaving the development, or Steve Soboroff, who was just hired?

A: I think Soboroff will be a lot more formidable foe. He’s got a great personality and he’s very charismatic and he may have more political power than Peter Denniston. Peter Denniston was with the developer I worked against at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and I was actually happy when he came up here. I never was very impressed with him.

Q: How many lawsuits remain outstanding?

A: We have a series of lawsuits that have been combined into one against the city of Los Angeles challenging all of the subdivision maps that have been approved so far. We lost those decisions in the Superior Court, but we are now at the California Appeals Court. There’s another lawsuit that was just filed this summer by Santa Monica Baykeepers challenging the city under the California Environmental Quality Act, saying the developers have not done a proper environmental review. And there is one from another group called Grassroots Coalition that isn’t really associated with us at all.

Q: When will the fight be over?

A: I guess when Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley decide to sell.

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