West Hills : Negotiations OKd for Communications Site

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to begin negotiations to buy a West Hills property for a long-awaited emergency communications center.

The unanimous vote will allow talks to begin with Coast Federal Savings for the city to buy a portion of the 20-acre site at Fallbrook Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard.

“It’s a magnificent site,” said Cmdr. Carlo Curio of the LAPD’s communications department. “It wouldn’t be a problem for most residents in the area because it’s in a secluded area and we can get it for next to nothing.”

Mayor Richard Riordan’s office originally suggested the site last year. It is estimated to cost at least $4 million.

Curio said buying the property probably would cost less money than having the city build a parking structure at the department’s West Valley Municipal Center, which was initially suggested to house the new 911 dispatch center.

The November 1992 approval of Proposition M authorized $235 million to finance construction of two new LAPD communications centers. One of the facilities would be in West Hills, if the deal with Coast Federal goes through. The other will be built at the city’s Ahmanson Training Center in South Los Angeles.