Westlake Village opposes new home for seniors
By Sophia Fischer  sfischer@theacorn.com

OPINION--Mayor Philippa Klessig supports the Sunrise senior homes, despite 72 percent of Westlake residents who are said to be opposed.

The Westlake Village City Council said it will vote against a senior assisted living facility on the former Westlake Hospital site, despite efforts by the developer to reduce the project's size.

During a Feb. 13 public hearing, four of five council members said they were against the project; only Mayor Philippa Klessig spoke in favor.

Those opposed to the Westlake Village Sunrise development cited the large size of the facility and the need to override the city's General Plan for approval. There were also concerns about increased traffic in the area.

Those in favor emphasized the need for more senior housing in the Conejo Valley. In addition, Westminster Presbyterian Church said it would gain valuable parking space if the Lakeview Canyon Road project were to be built.

But a straw poll taken by Neil Ticktin from the community blog Westlake Revelations indicated that nearly 72 percent of residents in a survey opposed the 6.5-acre project.

"It really does come down to that mass issue," Councilmember mark Rutherford said. "Once you set a precedent it's hard to go back. I'm reluctant to push those boundaries in this community."

Councilmember Robert Slavin said he preferred to see something developed on the site that appealed to more than just "the narrower community."

"I don't know what that should be," Slavin said. "We don't have to develop every piece of vacant land in the city all at one time."

Resident Lynn Krause said she objected to the size of the project and the affordability of the units.

Klessig said many residents would be able to afford the facility by using profits from the sale of their homes.

"I hate to think we're going to wait a lot of years again to do more for our elderly contingent here," Klessig said.

Sunrise officials had made changes to the project after meeting with residents over the past 18 months. The facility's size was cut by 16 percent, to 226,000 square feet, and the number of units dropped from 209 to 190. Landscaping at the site was increased by a third and changes were made so that the three-story portion of the building was not visible to surrounding neighborhoods.

"There are two churches and four office buildings all in that same block that are 29 to 35 feet. Our building is not higher than those existing structures that are there," said Wayne Sant, Sunrise senior vice president of development.

In response to traffic concerns, Sant said the project would introduce fewer than 700 vehicles in a 24-hour period, compared to several thousand if a church, school, office building or hospital were to be built on the site.

According to Sant, there are almost 3,200 residents over the age of 55 in Westlake Village. They represent 35 percent of the city's population.

"This mirrors the trend of most communities in Southern California," Sant said. "We need to provide for this aging population."

The facility included both independent and assisted living services.