Dec. 28, 2015

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The two-month-old leak at Southern California Gas Co.’s storage facility above Porter Ranch that is pumping massive amounts of methane into the air may derail a big upscale housing development planned for the community.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich has asked the Local Agency Formation Commission to block the annexation of county property in the community by the City of Los Angeles. He made the request earlier this month in a letter to Paul Novak, the commission’s executive director.

 

“I seek the annexation moratorium on the proposed Hidden Creeks development currently pending city approval,” Antonovich, a LAFCO commissioner, wrote in his letter.

He characterized the leak as “catastrophic” and noted that the 3,200 acre Aliso Canyon Storage Facility with 115 gas injection wells abuts Porter Ranch.

“The proposed Hidden Creek project will add more residential units in close proximity to the facility,” Antonovich wrote. “Until a thorough investigation can take place as to what caused the leak and what safeguards will be put into place to prevent a failure of this magnitude again, it is not appropriate to annex any further county territory to the City of Los Angeles for residential development in close proximity to Aliso Canyon.”

 

The leak at the well site near the top of Oat Mountain is pumping an estimated 1,200 tons of methane a day into the atmosphere and it may not be fixed until spring, the gas company said.

Many residents have complained of ill effects from the mercaptan, a compound that gives natural gas its rotten egg smell, and several thousand people are in temporary residences at gas company expense.

As of Sunday afternoon, 6,570 families had sought information on relocation assistance, said spokeswoman Anne Silva, though some might be duplicate requests.

 

So far the company has placed 2,258 families in temporary housing, 111 are staying with family or friends and are receiving compensation from the company and 3,162 are in the placement process, she said.

The gated community of Hidden Creeks Estates and Preserve is being proposed by Austin, Texas-based Forestar Group Inc., which has business units that deal in real estate, oil and gas and water and timber.

It wants to build 188 homes on 285-acres within Porter Ranch roughly to the north of the community’s current boundary. According to the city’s Planning Department the community’s boundaries are north of the 118 Freeway, west of Aliso Canyon and east of Browns Canyon.

 

Plans include an equestrian center and new youth sports fields designed for public use.

The homes will be built on lots averaging 18,500 square feet. And 25 lots will be a minimum of 20,000 square feet to over an acre and designed for horse-keeping, according to the company’s web site.

“The new community will be developed on land that has been in use for over 100 years for ranching and horse-keeping while canyons will remain protected in their natural state. Nearly 50 percent the property will be preserved as publicly accessible open space and parks, including the creation of the new 114-acre Hidden Creeks Preserve. The public will benefit from enhanced access to riding and hiking trails, as well as sports and recreation opportunities,” the site says.

 

The development will also include water storage for firefighting and a new hydrant system able to draw on a million gallons of water.

A final traffic study that is part of the environmental impact report concluded that there are no significant traffic impacts to the neighboring community, the company said.

The primary access will be from Mason Avenue in Porter Ranch.

The proposed development is within the city’s “sphere of influence,” which means the city can annex the property. That is why the development is going through the city’s approval process and not the county’s.

 

City Councilman Mitchell Englander, who represents Porter Ranch, said that the project dates back about 10 years.

“The applicant is going through the (approval) process. It is in an active stage. I believe the last day for appeals was last week. It is still under city review,” he said.

Forestar did not respond to a request for comment on the moratorium request and the phone was not being answered on Christmas Eve.

It is not clear at this point what, if any, impact Antonovich’s annexation moratorium request will have on the project.

 

If the commission, which is made up of elected officials, including two other supervisors, grants the moratorium, Forestar could proceed with county’s approval process.

“It’s up to the applicant to make that decision,” Englander said.

Kathryn Barger, Antonovich’s chief of staff, said the annexation moratorium request is a cautionary step.

“At this point with what’s going on up there and given what the residents are going through we just felt annexation would not be appropriate,” she said.

Novak said that the request will be considered at the commission’s Jan. 13 meeting and that the agency’s staff will prepare a report on the situation in Aliso Canyon before then.

 

The annexation process doesn’t usually get this kind of attention.

“I’ve been with the commission for nine years and this is a request I have no seen before,” Novak said of the moratorium proposal.

http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20151227/massive-porter-ranch-gas-leak-may-impact-new-development