Officials Suspect Arson : $500,000 Fire Hits Calabasas Project

Fire caused $500,000 in damage early Monday to the timber framing of a controversial Calabasas apartment complex, which is being built with Los Angeles County financial aid despite neighborhood opposition. A county fire official said arson was suspected.

Three two-story structures, containing 48 units, were destroyed in the blaze in the 3800 block of Las Virgenes Road. The buildings were engulfed in flames when firefighters were called to the complex about 1:40 a.m., said county Fire Capt. Stephen Alexander.

Seven engine companies brought the fire under control in 40 minutes, Alexander said. There were no injuries.

The complex, which when completed will include 600 apartment units on 53 acres just north of Malibu Creek State Park, generated a controversy in 1985 when it was approved by the county Board of Supervisors.

The project was opposed by the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation, a coalition of 15 Calabasas and Agoura area neighborhood groups. Dennis Washburn, then-federation president, said the apartments would harm wildlife and destroy the park’s rural atmosphere.

Complaints Rejected

Supervisors rejected the complaints and authorized sale of $50 million in low-interest county bonds to help the builder, Lincoln Property Co. of Van Nuys, finance the project. To qualify for the bonds, Lincoln officials pledged to reserve 120 units for low- and moderate-income families.

The burned structures were in the framing stage, Alexander said, and had not yet been covered with exterior building material.

Arson investigators were looking into the cause of the fire, Alexander said.

No details on how the fire started were made public.

The developer is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for starting the fire, said Michael Sondermann, a general partner in the firm.

He said the fire will put the company about 60 days behind schedule in completing the first phase of the project, consisting of 244 units, by next month. The entire project is scheduled for completion in August of next year, Sondermann said.