Court Upholds Housing Project for Horse Area

A state appeals court Tuesday upheld the Los Angeles City Council’s approval of a housing development in a horse-keeping neighborhood in Chatsworth, overturning a lower court decision that found the action was in error and there had not been sufficient review of the environmental impact of the project.

Neighbors of the project site sued the city, arguing that the 21-home development by city Airport Commission President Ted Stein would lead to the decline of the area’s equestrian lifestyle as large homes are crowded onto small lots.

A Superior Court judge had found that the project was inconsistent with the city General Plan, which required the preservation of horse-keeping uses in the Chatsworth area as a priority. But the three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, found that the project does not clash with the plan.

The appeals court found that “evidence supports a finding by the city that the land was no longer appropriate for horse-keeping and was unlikely to attract a lower-density development.” An attorney for a group of residents said he would discuss a possible appeal with his clients.