A parcel of land known by many as “the last commercial orange grove in the San Fernando Valley” is about to replaced by a neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes in Woodland Hills, upsetting some neighbors who had fought for its preservation.
“I’d prefer it to stay, yeah,” said Angel Arce, who lives across the street. “It’s better like this. We don’t have much of this anymore.”
The 14-acre tract is all that’s left of Bothwell Ranch, which was once a huge part of the Valley’s storied citrus crops. Early archival film footage often included Bothwell when citing how golden, sweet oranges convinced millions of people to migrate to California after the turn of the last century.
On Wednesday, LA City planning officials signaled that they will approve a project called “Oakdale Estates,” which will place 21 two-story homes on the site, requiring more than 1,137 remaining trees to be removed and destroyed.
Calls to Borstein Enterprises, the development company that bought the ranch, were not returned.
“I think they’re doing the right thing,” said Deven Tanna, whose home on Oakdale Avenue sits right next to the property’s northern border. “They’re nice, single family homes.”
But like many of his neighbors, he’s conflicted. He said he’ll miss the distinctive, sweet smell of orange blossoms every spring, followed by the clusters of fruit that would then appear.
The grove has long been a landmark in the neighborhood because it’s so unusual — a distinctive, rectangular patch of green with a few outbuildings, surrounded by suburban sprawl.
Efforts to have the property designated as a historical landmark, including an online petition, ultimately failed. But LA Councilman Bob Blumenfield did manage to get the new owners to preserve a few acres and a couple of hundred trees. The Mountain Recreations and Conservation Authority has been tasked with managing the site for “educational purposes.”
