Disputed Apartment Project Damaged in Calabasas Blaze

Fire caused $500,000 damage early Monday to the framing of a Calabasas apartment complex, which is being built with Los Angeles County financial aid over neighborhood opposition. A county fire official said arson is suspected.

The wood frames of three two-story structures, each to contain 16 apartment units, were burning when firefighters were called to the complex at about 1:40 a.m., Capt. Stephen Alexander said.

Source of Controversy

Seven engine companies brought the fire under control in 40 minutes, Alexander said. There were no injuries.

The complex will include 600 apartment units on 53 acres just north of Malibu Creek State Park. It generated controversy in 1985 when it was approved by the Board of Supervisors.

The project was opposed by the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation, a coalition of 15 Calabasas and Agoura-area neighborhood groups. Dennis Washburn, then federation president, said the apartments would harm wildlife and destroy the park’s rural atmosphere.

Supervisors rejected the complaints and authorized sale of $50 million in low-interest county bonds to help the builder, Lincoln Property Co. of Van Nuys, finance the project. To qualify for the bonds, Lincoln officials pledged to reserve 120 units for low- and moderate-income families.

Work Incomplete

The burned structures in the 3800 block of Las Virgenes Road had not yet been covered with exterior building material, Alexander said.

No details on how the fire was started were made public.

Neighbors reported the fire. The blaze in the free-standing wood structures, which could be seen for several miles, was described by a fire captain as looking like a “Roman candle” against the night sky.