L.A. County Suit Over Ahmanson Inches Closer : Development: Supervisor Ed Edelman says action against Ventura County, which approved the project, appears inevitable because of traffic concerns.

Los Angeles County appeared poised Tuesday to sue the Ahmanson Land Co. and Ventura County, challenging the adequacy of road improvements that Ventura County required in approving Ahmanson’s request to construct a $1-billion development in the Simi Hills.

Although Los Angeles County supervisors postponed a decision on the suit until next Tuesday, Supervisor Ed Edelman--who represents the west San Fernando Valley, the area that would be most affected by traffic from the development--said litigation seems inevitable.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re protected” in on-going negotiations with the developer over road improvements in Los Angeles County, Edelman said.

Legal challenges to the Ventura County supervisors’ Dec. 15 approval of the development must be filed within 30 days of that decision, by Jan. 15. A number of government agencies and community groups have threatened to try to halt or alter the development by filing suit. The Calabasas City Council will discuss tonight whether to file suit.

Los Angeles County’s newest supervisor, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, asked for the one-week delay in a decision on the county’s suit, saying she wanted to give the county Department of Public Works more time to try to negotiate a compromise outside the courtroom.

Edelman said he agreed to the delay out of courtesy to Burke, but only because the Jan. 15 deadline was still more than a week away. “But I won’t support a delay next week,” he said.

The Ahmanson proposal calls for construction of 3,050 dwellings and a 400,000-square-foot commercial center, to be offset by a donation of 10,000 acres of public parkland.

It has long been criticized by Los Angeles officials, some nearby homeowners and regional environmentalists as too massive. Critics say it would dump more than 37,000 vehicles a day onto Los Angeles County roadways while most of its financial benefits would remain in Ventura County.

Los Angeles County public works officials are scheduled to meet today with the developer, their second meeting since the Ventura County approval.

So far, the county and developer agree that all traffic from the Ventura County community, its golf course and town center would spill into Los Angeles County. The project, to be situated just over the border between the two counties, would be accessible only via Los Angeles County streets.

The remaining disagreement is over what compensation the developer should provide for causing that traffic.

Los Angeles County is asking for about $17 million in bridge-and-thoroughfare district fees that help finance regional road projects, such as a new Parkway Calabasas interchange, said Carl Blum, assistant deputy public works director for Los Angeles County. The developer would pay the fee, based on the number of houses to be constructed, and pass the expense to home buyers.

Also, Blum said the county wants the developer to improve intersections and widen roads in the West Valley that would carry traffic from the Ahmanson development.

Ahmanson has offered to spend $15 million, including some regional district fee money, on road improvements, changes to 20 intersections, Ventura Freeway ramp widenings and the extension of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, said Don Brackenbush, president of Ahmanson Land Co.

But exactly how much of the county’s road improvement wish list is included in the developer’s proposal remained unclear Tuesday.

“He’s talking about apples somewhat and we’re talking about oranges, and we really need a fruit mix,” Blum said.

Brackenbush said he remained optimistic that an agreement could be reached at today’s meeting that would obviate the need for the county to file suit.

“I think we’re close . . . but then I have a more optimistic viewpoint than most other people,” he said.

Although Blum agreed that negotiations with the developer have been productive, he said he still will ask supervisors to allow the suit to be filed next week to ensure that any agreement is honored.

“Even if we resolved everything by next week, the final signatures would not be on everything they need to be on,” Blum said. “We don’t want to give up our negotiating leverage.”