CHATSWORTH — Ever since hundreds of postage stamp-size lots were drawn onto subdivision maps 70 years ago, residents of the quaint Twin Lakes Park and Deerlake Highlands communities in the craggy hills north of Chatsworth have dreaded development but feared it was inevitable.
The more than 200 acres of rugged property at the north end of Canoga Avenue have served for decades as the playground of equestrians, hikers and mountain bikers. The number of visitors has grown steadily as housing tracts pushed to the foot of the Santa Susana Mountains, gobbling up orange groves and ranches and boosting the Valley's million-plus population.
Now, miles of city-maintained trails in tract developments lead to the pristine area, which offers a year-round creek, shady canyons and ridges that afford breathtaking, panoramic views. Fires, drought, property devaluations and a stagnant housing market have kept the builders at bay.
Until now.
A developer who recently purchased a large chunk of the area has told residents he plans to build an equestrian-friendly community there.
Then this month, much to the consternation of trail users, chain barricades were raised across half a dozen trails, and an electric gate soon will block the only road up the mountain.
The action has triggered an outcry among equestrians and others, who accuse the developer of reneging on a promise. And, just weeks after they were installed, chains and signs already have been vandalized and ripped out.
"This whole thing is really getting out of hand," said Lynn Leonard, president of a local equestrian group. "It is just escalating beyond belief."
Consultants who work with the developer, Doug Riley of Bell Canyon, said he is out of the country and could not be reached for comment. But they said preliminary plans indicate that between 60 and 100 homes may be built in the area. Los Angeles County real estate records show that the project--called Chatsworth Ridge Estates--already is funded with a $2-million construction loan.
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Trail users have been told by a Riley representative that the barricades are the work of a handful of residents who live in the remote area. But those residents say Riley ordered the work done and is paying for all improvements, including roads that are newly graded and topped with gravel.
