The price of progress
In light of the current real estate slump and mortgage meltdown, you'd think the housing manufacturers would be less inclined to build new tracts. Their inventories must be growing by the hour.

Apparently that's not the case.

In Calabasas, an 86-unit condominium project by Standard Pacific Homes recently received approval by the City Council. The homes are to be built in the fast-developing Las Virgenes Road commercial zone just south of the 101 Freeway. Economic issues notwithstanding, many residents who live in the area oppose the new homes on grounds that the city should have been true to its promise and more protective of the environmentally sensitive westside corridor. Las Virgenes Road is considered to be the gateway to the western portion of the city. Just over a mile from the proposed development, Las Virgenes Road turns into an official Los Angeles County scenic highway. Malibu Creek State Park is also nearby. Slowly but surely, however, the road is becoming a congested nightmare. Related pollution is on the rise.

Balancing the interests of developers and environmentalists is never an easy task. Nobody enjoys seeing our hillsides torn down, but city officials face legal repercussions if they delay progress on a commercial or residential development that is entitled to proceed. It is sad, however, that much of the city's remaining development is being heaped on the residents of the west side, while those who live in the staid eastern communities of Mulwood and Calabasas Park remain immune to the shovel and crane.

The new condos on Las Virgenes Road will cost less than the average million-dollar home in Calabasas. That doesn't make them affordable, but at least the city is responding to the call for more moderately-priced homes. A few will be officially classified as affordable. In addition, developers are paying for a variety of improvements to Las Virgenes Road. And the income from the project will help fund the city's ongoing commitment to provide some of the best infrastructure, parks and community services of any city in Los Angeles County.

Progress comes at a price, but also brings many benefits. And when you think about it, we all live in homes and work at businesses that encroached on somebody else's space once upon a time. Just because you have yours doesn't mean others shouldn't have theirs.

The Acorn supports the spate of new homes on Las Virgenes Road. We need smaller, more affordable homes, not bigger ones. We only hope the city knows when enough is enough, and that the new General Plan that is currently being written will reflect the residents' desire for sensible growth.