Residents Protest Atwater Village Project

A group of about a dozen Atwater Village residents, dressed in black clothes and wearing face masks, Wednesday protested the construction of a shopping center at the long-abandoned Franciscan Pottery plant, contending that there are still toxic chemicals at the former Superfund site.

After state tests revealed high levels of lead in some parts of the earth, the group questioned how the city could approve such a project.

“We have an extremely dangerous situation here,” said Robert Stanley, a local resident, adding, “For this [project] to go forward is a reckless disregard for the health, safety and welfare of the people.”

Stanley is a member of Save Atwater Village, a community group organized to ensure that development doesn’t ruin the pedestrian character of the neighborhood. Stanley said the city of Los Angeles should never have approved the project before an environmental impact statement was completed. He and other activists are worried that their children might be exposed to high levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

Government officials contend, however, that the site is safe and note that city and state agencies are continuously testing the area to guard against exposure to dangerous chemicals.

Residents want more testing of the soil, the posting of larger signs warning of the existence of cancer-causing chemicals in the ground and other safeguards to keep potentially hazardous dust from getting into the air. They are also concerned that the large size of the development will destroy their neighborhood, jamming the streets with cars. When finished, the commercial site will house a Price Club, Toy R Us and a Ralphs supermarket.

“This community has gotten a raw deal,” Stanley said.

A survey by the state Department of Toxic Substances Control showed that some parcels of land in the development, located along Los Feliz Boulevard, had high lead levels. One site had 42 times the allowable limit.

“You have to make sure everything’s safe,” said Bill Mabie, chief aide for state Sen. Richard Polanco, who urged that the department continue testing of the area’s air.

But Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg contends that everything is being done to ensure the safety of the construction project. She said that a city inspector visits the site twice daily and state investigators also examine the area.

“This is probably the most heavily tested soil in America,” she said.

Hamid Saefar, chief of cleanup operations for the toxic substances control agency, said the site does not emit dangerous fumes, adding that the region with the highest lead levels equaled the size of a five-gallon trash can and has been sealed. He said that any debris floating from the site is unlikely to be hazardous.

The state is continuing to keep an eye on the area, Saefar said, adding that the project’s developer is monitoring the dust in the air.

Stanley said that residents believe they were not adequately informed before the construction project began and that the scale of the development should be reconsidered.

“We are not against this property being developed. What we’re looking for is sane development,” Stanley said.

Goldberg countered that the majority of the community supports the development, which will put a supermarket in the Los Feliz area, within walking distance of several apartment complexes. She added that studies of the site, which is near the Golden State Freeway, show that traffic will not become more congested due to the development.