The Valley, America's poster child for sprawl, is maybe turning around on that whole malls, boulevards, and tract housing thing. Well, not turning around so much as pivoting a tiny bit. The Valley watchers at the Daily News report on both a transit project and density demands in the SFV. The buses on the Van Nuys Blvd. corridor are the second busiest in the Valley, next to those on the Orange Line busway (and traffic is impossible), so Metro is hoping to bring either bus rapid transit or light rail (or possibly a trolley) to about ten and a quarter miles between the 210 Freeway and Ventura Blvd. Metro is holding public meetings on the project this week and has $68.5 million in Measure R funds set aside. Meanwhile, over in Woodland Hills, there is an actual president of an actual homeowners association saying stuff like this: "Make it even more attractive with high density. We want a great boutique hotel, tall buildings, a restaurant row."
The YIMBYism is for the contentious Village at Westfield Topanga, which includes a one and a half story high Costco and a bunch of two story retail buildings in Phase I (plans for residences were dropped last year). Residents have been fighting for a less suburbany Costco, but that aside, most still support the project (2,000 for to 200 against, according to the LADN). There are some vocal density proponents, however, including the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council member who complains that the Village is way too focused on making things easy for cars and drivers. Phase II of the project will have a 12 story hotel and an 11 story office tower and Phase I will include "urban touches" including urban trails and actual windows on the Costco. You've come a long way, Valley.
· Van Nuys Blvd. congestion spurs new transit dreams [LADN]
· Some seek a more citified Village [LADN]
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