Key facts
- California's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) stated Los Angeles violated state law by rejecting a housing project.
- The city denied a 398-unit housing development, including 97 affordable units, at Woodland Hills Country Club.
- The denial was based on the site being habitat for the Southern California mountain lion, a candidate species.
- HCD concluded the city's reasoning for denial did not meet the legal standard for excluding the site from streamlined approval.
- The country club's attorney is threatening a lawsuit and seeking monetary damages from the city.
California's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has informed Los Angeles that its rejection of a housing project at Woodland Hills Country Club violated state law. City planners had denied a proposal for 398 homes, including 97 affordable units, citing the area as habitat for the endangered Southern California mountain lion. HCD stated the city improperly applied an exemption to a law that mandates by-right approval for affordable housing on commercially zoned land. The country club's attorney is threatening a lawsuit and seeking monetary damages from the city.