October 03, 2002 

ALTADENA -- Nearly half the promises traded for permission to build a gated community in the Altadena foothills remain unfulfilled, according to a county audit.

Of the 91 key conditions identified in the report, 46 are partially finished or incomplete. Most relate to the developers' failure to build hiking and horse trails near the La Vina development at the top of Lincoln Avenue. Street changes meant to improve traffic circulation and additions planned for nearby Loma Alta Park also remain incomplete.

Responsibility for the negligence lies with the developers and with ineffective county departments that offered little oversight, the report said.

"There's no excuse for the failures to fully complete the conditions,' said Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents unincorporated Altadena.

"I was outraged by the findings of the audit,' Antonovich said.

But the report's findings, released Tuesday, hold little surprise for some Altadena residents. Many have complained for more than five years that the La Vina development blocked access to their favorite riding trails.

Local equestrians held a rally in January at Loma Alta Park to draw attention to poor trail conditions.

"Parts of trails just don't exist anymore. They're gone. They're grown over,' Tracy Sullivan of Altadena Equestrian Resources said at the event.

After the demonstration, Antonovich gave county employees 15 days to complete the La Vina audit, but searching the county's voluminous files instead took several months.

The 272-home La Vina development covers 220 acres bordering the Angeles National Forest. The last phase of 25 houses is nearly complete.

The county first approved the project in 1989, but legal challenges by opposition group Friends of La Vina delayed construction until 1996.

Several developers were involved in La Vina, where some homes now sell for more than $1 million. The group includes original developers Cantwell/Anderson Inc. and Southwest Diversified, as well as builders Brookfield Homes, Compass Homes/La Vina Estates LLC and Lehman Ali La Vina LLC.

Naming which company must complete the conditions will take another month. A report identifying who is responsible is due Nov. 15, along with a completion time line.

Existing construction bonds should be sufficient to finish the improvements, said Conal McNamara, Antonovich's land- use deputy.

The county predicts it will take one to two years to meet all the requirements.

The audit initially identified more than 700 conditions, nearly 200 of which fall into "quality-of-life' categories directly affecting Altadena residents. Those were narrowed down to 91 "key' requirements.

Promises outside of formal conditions approved or required by the county were excluded, such as commitments to establish an economic development program in Altadena and plant a large oak grove honoring Gabrielino Indians.

Antonovich said he intends to ensure there are no repeats of La Vina by revamping how the county oversees such developments.

The county Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on his motion to restructure the county's land development process.

-- Becky Oskin can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4451, or by e- mail at becky.oskin@sgvn.com .