Councilman: Bundy Village Proposal Is Dead

Los Angeles - Councilman Bill Rosendahl today declared the demise of a widely opposed development project in West Los Angeles.

"The former Bundy Village proposal, which large numbers of my constituents and I oppose, is dead and no longer a threat of being approved in its current form," Rosendahl said in a statement.

He said developer Michael Lombardi has committed to revamp the project, to engage the community and to start from scratch in the city approval process.

Residents adamantly opposed the plans for an 11.5-acre development of medical offices, housing, and retail because of the project's size and because it was expected to bring about 21,000 extra daily car trips to the already congested Westside.

Lombardi had argued that the inclusion of a medical facility in the development outweighed traffic concerns.

After winning approval from the Planning Commission last year, the project has been dormant because the developer filed for bankruptcy protection and asked for more time before the council's Planning and Land Use Committee considered the project.

After numerous requests from Lombardi for the committee to delay hearing the project, it wound up on the committee's agenda in late July, triggering a wave of frantic calls from residents to Rosendahl's office.

To ensure the project as originally proposed is officially off the table, Rosendahl's staff asked Lombardi to make it known in the public record. In response, Lombardi sent a letter to members of the PLUM Committee today declaring his intention to start over and conduct a "more open and inclusive public process."

"The councilman (Rosendahl) has expressed his opposition to the Bundy Village project... As a result, the applicant has requested that the matter be taken off the PLUM Committee calendar," Lombardi wrote. "This will allow the applicant more time to make material modifications to the project to address the Councilman's concerns."