Plan advances to turn San Fernando Valley’s last commercial orange grove into upscale homes
A project to transform the century-old Bothwell Ranch in Tarzana into an upscale development with residential homes is moving forward.
Los Angeles City planning officials signaled on Aug. 21 that they will approve the project that will remove 1,143 of 1,451 citrus trees and build 21 two-story single-family homes.
“We also realize that trees are a sensitive issue on the site given its past,” said Brad Rosenheim, president and CEO of the consulting firm Rosenheim & Associates, Inc. who works with the developer Borstein Enterprises, during the city planning meeting.
The famous orchard owned by Lindley and Marion Bothwell once stretched across 30 acres. The ranch eventually shrunk to 14 acres as the owners sold the land for the development of homes. The family built several structures on their portion of the ranch to store equipment equipment and Bothwell’s collection of vintage cars.
The new homes at 5300 Oakdale Ave. will be equipped with solar panels, EV charging stations and heat-absorbing roofs, according to Rosenheim.
Nearly four acres, or 30% of the site area, will be preserved and maintained by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, or MRCA, a public agency that works with Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and other local park agencies.
About 636 trees will remain or will be planted at the grove within the proposed project and the preserved area.
“The vast majority of the trees that will be removed are severely distressed due to many years of severe neglect and the fact that they are reaching the end of their useful life, having been planted over 40 years ago,” according to a statement from Rosenheim.
Fifteen out of 19 trees off-site will be preserved. No protected trees will be removed. The proposed project will also maintain two rows of 57 citrus trees along Oakdale Avenue. The new homeowners association of the twenty-one home development will manage and maintain the trees, according to Rosenheim.
“The citrus trees on the property, planted in the early 1980s, are at the end of their life cycle (the average life span for citrus trees is 40-50 years) and have largely deteriorated beyond repair due to years of inadequate watering and care before the property’s acquisition,” according to a statement from Rosenheim.
Residents and activists joined the call on Aug. 21 to share their feedback about the development.
“I’m deeply concerned about these many trees being cut down,” said Dee Ann, a mother of a student of Chime Institute’s Schwarzenegger Community, a public charter school located in Tarzana. “We are very concerned at the school how this is going to impact the learning, the environment and the noise level for the children.”
Erin Cristall, a neighbor who lives near the ranch, said she worried about the project contributing to the worsening traffic in the area.
Rosenheim said during the meeting that the development secured support from the Tarzana and Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood councils.
Devon Chellevold, a parent of Chime students, said he supported the development.
“This looks like an excellent project,” he said.
The developer is still in the process of obtaining the final approvals from the city agencies.
“No timeline has been set for construction until all necessary approvals are granted,” wrote Eric Rose, a representative for the Oakdale Estates project, in an email.