Council amends closure condition near Amundsen Ranch, calls for new EIR

Council Member Zine successfully moved an amendment on Oct. 9 to remove condition No. 3 from a closure order affecting Victory Boulevard near Valley Circle, adjacent to the proposed Amundsen Ranch development. Council members approved the amendment and the item as amended by voice vote ("10 ayes").

Zine described the item as related to a long-disputed proposed development in the Far West San Fernando Valley. He said the existing environmental-impact report is more than 10 years old and urged a new EIR before any approvals. The specific condition Zine sought to remove had stated that the street closure would end when the Amundsen Land Company notified the city that the street was needed for construction. Zine argued that keeping that condition would send a "mixed message" to the community and hinder calls for a new EIR.

Council members agreed to continue the closure for another 18 months while striking condition No. 3. The transcript records an amending motion to remove condition No. 3 and an affirmative vote recorded as "10 ayes." The motion as amended was approved; no separate roll-call listing of individual yes/no votes appears in the transcript.

Zine said community leaders and elected officials from related jurisdictions have requested a new EIR and additional mitigations, including traffic mitigations along east–west corridors and other measures the council believes are necessary. The council did not adopt a new EIR at this meeting; Zine requested that staff pursue the environmental review before further project approvals.

The item ties the existing street closure, the developer's construction timeline and the timing of environmental review, but the council's action at this meeting removed the phrase that would have required reopening the street upon developer notice. The transcript does not record any specific deadlines for completing a new EIR or which city department is assigned to initiate the review.