Los Angeles County Seeks to Block Army Site Auction
Published May 31st, 2006
Los Angeles County plans today to file suit in federal district court in an attempt to block the proposed June auction by the U.S. Army of a prime 10-acre parcel at Wilshire Boulevard and Federal Avenue that is now used as the West Los Angeles U.S. Army Reserve Center.
The complaint, a copy of which was provided to The Times, alleges that the Army proposed auctioning the parcel to developers without first studying other alternatives or the environmental effects of disposing of the property, as required by federal law and the military’s internal guidelines.
The suit further alleges that the Army ignored other proposed federal projects in West Los Angeles — notably a new FBI headquarters and the redevelopment of the Veterans Affairs campus — that probably will significantly affect traffic and density.
“They’re very vulnerable on this,” county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. “The public has been totally shut out, as have other governmental agencies.”
The Army’s desire to auction the property in what is called a “real property exchange” came to light last month.
