Development makes strange bedfellows, critics say

Next week, the Westlake Village City Council is expected to vote whether or not to rezone a 22-acre lot off Russell Ranch Road to allow the construction of a 168,000-square-foot Lowe’s home improvement store.

Besides the $45-million hardware store, Rotkin Real Estate Group has submitted plans to develop 62,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space on the property. The development will feature a 20,000-square-foot high-end car dealership.

In addition to creating deep riffs in the community, the proposal has brought together several strange bedfellows in the battle for information and public opinion, critics say.

To help garner public opinion and gain support from the local homeowner associations, Lowe’s and Rotkin Real Estate hired Al Abrams, a Tarzana publicist and image consultant. But previously, Abrams worked with Jess Ruf—owner of two local Do-It Centers and a leading Lowe’s opponent—to help pass Measure H in 2002. The measure was an anti-big box referendum that stopped Home Depot from being built in Agoura Hills.

Ruf admits he opposes Lowe’s not only because he feelthe development strays too

far from thcity’s origina1989 zoning plans and would heavily increase local traffic, but also because the additional competition would hurt sales at his Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills stores.

Ruf and other residents, including Agoura Hills-based attorney Jonathan Greenspan, created Westlake United, an ad hoc committee formed to combat Lowe’s. Ruf, Greenspan and Mark Sellers, an attorney with the law firm hired by Westlake United, all filed letters of objections to the draft environmental report for the Lowe’s project.

In 1995, Greenspan headed a similar, anti-growth committee, Citizens for Westlake Village, that fought a losing battle against Costco.

In addition to Abrams, the Lowe’s team hired Edison Group, an Atlanta-based public relations firm, as well as former Westlake Village mayor and city councilmember-turned-public relations consultant Chris Mann to counter the vociferous anti-Lowe’s residents.

But sources opposing the big-box development said Mann’s involvement creates a conflict of interest because he could have the ability to unfairly influence city staff.

Mann, who now lives and works in Banning, Calif., said he has no such influence on city staff. He said he was brought aboard only to help Lowe’s and Rotkin better understand the city and its council members. Power brokers

When Mann and fellow Councilmember Betty DeSantis, who is also a Lowe’s advocate, announced they would not seek reelection in 2003, they both endorsed members of the current voting council. Mann supported Mayor Pro Tem Jim Bruno, and DeSantis backed Councilwoman Phillipa Klessig.

Although Bruno is the only city council member to publicly voice his objection to the development, Klessig seems more likely to support the project.

“The city was founded in 1981, and it’s time to refurbish and update,” Klessig said in a recent article in The San Fernando Valley Business Journal. “(Lowe’s) would allow us to do more with our city funds.”

Because Councilmember Bob lavin recently recused himself

om voting on Lowe’s due to a

otential conflict, only four of the

ity council members will be votng on the project. The voting members will be Mayor Susan McSweeney and Councilmembers Bruno, Klessig and Mark Rutherford.

The anti-Lowe’s residents also cried foul on learning that John Knipe, the city engineer for Westlake Village, sits on the board of directors for Willdan and Associates. The Anaheimbased firm was hired to write the Lowe’s environmental impact report for the city.

Terence Boga, the Westlake Village city attorney, said there is no conflict of interest if Knipe holds a seat on the Willdan board while he also works as an employee of the city.