Flood concerns halt housing project
Before any of the nearly 500 homes are built on Hasley Canyon Road near Del Valle Road, the developer must first install flood control infrastructure at the intersection.
The developer wants to build 497 homes on 430 acres in the area of Hasley and Del Valle — the site of flooding these past two winters.
On Tuesday, members of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning Subdivision Committee reviewed the latest revisions made to longstanding plans to build homes along the northern side of Hasley Canyon Road,
Their most recent concern reviewed Thursday was expressed in writing Nov. 29, by public works officials worried about flooding.
As a condition of the project being approved, they want the developer, SFI Los Valles LLC, to install a flood control infiltration chamber — described as a concrete vault or something similar — along with associated pre-treatment device, inlet storm drain pipe and overflow emergency storm drain pipe.
The flood control infrastructure would help prevent the flooding of areas near the project site.
Whether it’s an underground chamber used for infiltration or detention, making sure it gets installed is all about managing run-off as opposed to letting it run off-site to a river or stream.
Such a structure would allow the site to remain as close to its original state as possible.
Once built, management of the the flood control infrastructure would be turned over to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, according to the Public Works order, “along with all necessary easements for flood control purposes and access, to the satisfaction of the Department of Public Works.”
The public works officials also want the developer to obtain all the necessary approvals and permits from agencies affected by flood waters including, specifically, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, the State Water Resource Control Board and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Members of the Subdivision Committee represent: regional planning, parks and recreation, fire, public health and public works.
A public hearing on the project is scheduled to take place in Room 150 of the Hall of Records in Los Angeles, 320 West Temple Street, beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday Jan. 8.
In addition to 497 homes, the project also calls for 42 open space lots, 11 private recreation lots, a park, a water tank, a booster fire station, 20 private street lots, two private lots and 12 storm drain “maintenance lots.”
Plans to develop the rolling hills north of Hasley Canyon Road have seen many changes over the past 10 years.
The latest Los Valles project was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 31, 2017.