WOODLAND HILLS—Developer Akhilesh Jah and his wife, Janet Jah, want to convert a four-bedroom, three-bathroom family home into a 71-unit senior living facility. The property is located on Del Moreno Drive in Woodland Hills, directly across from Taft Charter High School.
The senior living facility would house up to 142 residents. It plans to include a cafeteria and a medical office, with no on-site parking.
Local residents and the developer got into a heated debate during a hearing with the LA City Planning Commission. In a video released by FOX 11, the wife of the developer was allegedly shouting and invoking threats against the residents, saying, “I’m gonna do black magic on you.”
At one point during the video, Akhilesh was yelling at the community members, claiming, “It’s my turn to speak, when you spoke, I didn’t interrupt you, did I?”
During the hearing, residents argued that California’s state density laws, which let developers bypass local zoning, are being exploited for profit under the guise of helping the homeless. They argue that their properties are in high fire hazard zones and that the development, which adds no parking spaces, poses a risk to community members in an emergency.
“The state has really over the last decade gone above and beyond to tie our hands. I will reluctantly make a motion to adopt staff’s recommendations approving the 12 waivers,” stated the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.
The project passed unanimously, despite the commission’s hesitancy. State law outranks local city ordinances, and because the project technically complies with state density law criteria, the commission is legally obligated to approve the waivers.
The developer expects a fight and understands this could be disputed in court and it could take at least two years to obtain full approval.
By Milan Manesh