Report:

TUJUNGA — A proposed housing development for the Verdugo Hills Golf Course would significantly affect traffic on two major roadways, damage protected oak and sycamore trees and have a considerable adverse effect on the scenic vista, according to a draft environmental impact report released last week.

MWH Development Corp.’s proposal to level the 18-hole course and contiguous driving range to build 229 detached single-family homes on 25 acres of the 58-acre site has incited open-space advocates and local residents who argue the project would irreversibly scar the area. The two-story homes would have four bedrooms, a two-car garage and average about 2,200 square feet.

The draft report was the latest straw in a long-running battle between developers and environmentalists over what to do with the seven parcels of land at the intersection of Tujunga Canyon Boulevard and La Tuna Canyon Road.

Environmentalists and neighbors of the proposed project, led by the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee, contend that the project would exacerbate existing gridlock, result in the destruction of dozens of mature native oak trees, severely curtail recreational space and lead to a permanent loss or degradation to native habitat through a combination of cut slopes and removed vegetation.

Leonard Hoffman, of Tujunga, is one of dozens of area residents who have been on high alert since the plot was purchased in 2004.

“It’s been, ‘to hell with the impact on the environment. To hell with the impact on traffic,’” he said.

Hoffman joined 120 neighbors and environmentalists at a community meeting last year where they expressed concerns about the aesthetic impact of the project, air quality, noise, traffic and parking.

Traffic generated by the proposal would directly affect two of the 10 studied intersections, according to the report. The intersections of Lowell and Honolulu avenues, and Pennsylvania and Foothill avenues would bear heavy traffic effects from the development.

In addition to the two-car garages, which could add 458 cars to the area, the project would provide one guest parking slot for every four units for a total of about 57 spaces.

“My God, this is already gridlock here,” Hoffman said. “I would say with another 600 cars, this whole area is going to become gridlock.”

Mark Handel, co-owner of MWH Development, could not be reached for comment.

The report evaluates four project alternatives, including erecting 336 town homes developed in 14 stand-alone buildings of 24 units, which would include keeping the golf course, and two plans that call for a mixed-use residential and neighborhood serving commercial development. The fourth would be doing away with the project altogether.