Why this matters:

 

The LAUSD Board of Education recently advanced a 391-unit workforce housing project at the former Collins Street Elementary School site (5717 N. Rudnick Ave) in Woodland Hills. While our neighborhood supports affordable housing for our hardworking teachers and school district staff, a development of this size will completely reshape our community.

 

As currently proposed, this massive 5-story complex risks overwhelming our quiet residential streets, invading neighbor privacy, and causing a massive traffic bottleneck on our narrow local roads.
But there is a better way.

 

 We can create a WIN-WIN for everyone.

 

We are petitioning the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Council, LAUSD, and the developer (Affirmed Housing Group) to adopt a "Zoned Buffer" layout. Instead of building apartments right up against single-family homes, we are demanding that the 6.56-acre property be laid out responsibly:

 

Green Buffer Zones on Rudnick & Miranda:

 

• Place two youth-sized sports fields (one for soccer, one for flag football) directly on the Rudnick Avenue and Miranda Street borders. Proposed name could be Collins Youth Sports Park.
• This creates a zero-story open-space buffer that respects the local single-family neighborhood and gives our kids a safe place to play.
• Keep High Density on Shoup Avenue: Push the multi-story buildings and the 550-space parking structure entirely to the eastern edge of the property along Shoup Avenue. 

 

 

 

Shoup is a major thoroughfare built to handle high density and commuter traffic.

 

Protect Local Streets from Traffic: Restrict all primary vehicle gates and garage access points to Shoup Avenue, ensuring hundreds of daily commuter cars stay off our quiet residential blocks.

 

By signing this petition, you are demanding a smart urban design that secures vital space for youth sports and preserves the character of Woodland Hills, while still providing LAUSD employees with the housing they need.

 

Don't let developers build without neighborhood input. Sign now to demand that LAUSD and Affirmed Housing Group include a multi-sport park buffer on the Collins Street site!

• This is an image of the proposed development at the Collins LAUSD project. There is plenty of space to add two youths sports fields. Let’s make this a win-win for everyone one in the West Valley!

 

The data shows there is a need for Collins Youth Sports Park in the West Valley:

 

The West Valley community can formalize its request for this win-win compromise by demanding a legally binding Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) during LAUSD's current Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) phase with the developer.

 

While state laws like AB 2295 bypass local zoning blockades, California’s Education and Government Codes still legally protect the community’s right to shape a site's specific design, footprint, and environmental mitigations during pre-development public review.

 

This proposal is strongly supported by local infrastructure data: according to City of Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Park Commissionersmetrics, the West Valley suffers from a pronounced deficit of open-space sports facilities compared to the East Valley.

 

Local leagues, such as the West Valley Soccer League, routinely cite a severe shortage of dedicated, turf-protected fields, forcing youth soccer and flag football programs to pay high fees to crowd into a limited number of multi-use parks like the Woodland Hills Recreation Center. Utilizing the former 6.56-acre Collins school site to integrate the proposed zero-story "Collins Youth Sports Park" buffer fulfills a critical regional recreation deficit while allowing the district to meet its employee housing goals

The Scale Problem: Is the Developer Ready?

• Unprecedented Step Up: The proposed 391-unit complex is nearly double the size of any project Affirmed Housing Group currently has operational.
• 
  Infill vs. Mega-Project: Affirmed's 30-year track record consists of small, high-density builds (100–200 units) on tight 1- to 3-acre urban parcels.
• Logistical Risks: Managing a sprawling, master-planned 6.56-acre site introduces massive staging, infrastructure, and neighborhood traffic challenges that fall outside the developer's traditional comfort zone.