Woodland Hills, California

Woodland Hills is one part of the patchwork of neighborhoods and cities that crowd the southwestern corner of the San Fernando Valley, along with Calabasas and Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills and Bell Canyon. To the north of Woodland Hills, north of Victory Boulevard, which is the area’s northern border, are Canoga Park, West Hills, and Winnetka. Woodland Hills is bound on the eastern border, which is marked by Corbin Avenue, by the neighborhoods of Reseda and Tarzana. Woodland Hills is divided into four near-equal quarters by the east-west running Ventura Freeway and the north-south running Topanga Canyon Boulevard, also known as Route 27. To the south of Ventura Boulevard, the neighborhood runs up against and partly climbs the northern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, where it runs into state parkland and then Topanga, California. The southern border of Woodland Hills is approximately defined by the world-famous and storied winding road that goes by the name Mulholland Drive.

The economic and commercial heart of Woodland Hills, and a major economic center for the city of Los Angeles as a whole, is comprised of Warner Center and Warner Center Corporate Park. During the last few decades of the twentieth century, the area saw a burst of development of high-rise and mid-rise glass office buildings and other business-oriented structures with little regard for the potential subsequent problems related to livability such as traffic and lack of connection of the region to the rest of the community. The Center was just a place to fight traffic to get into the area to work and then fight traffic to get out of there to get home. In this way, the area was much like downtown Los Angeles at the time. Then, at the turn of the millennium, following a trend that was taking place in localities across the country, including downtown L.A., the area’s civic and business leadership began to consider reforming Warner Center to take into consideration the needs of the surrounding community, as it had become clear that the urban civic model that had been developing was simply not working. Traffic congestion was getting worse. Office and corporate zones were becoming virtual dead zones in the evening after the workers have left, save for custodial and security personnel. People saw the need for changes, including for increased pedestrian-friendly zones, such as in parks and in shopping areas that have a more human scale. Also part of the reforms include an increase in mixed-use buildings and a general increase in the availability of residential space in the area, decreasing the need for long-distance commutes for some of those who work in the area. As for those who do commute to Warner Center, part of the plan is to improve the connections to public transportation. What came of the meetings among the leadership was something called the Warner Center 2035 Plan of Development, which was adopted by the Los Angeles City Council in 2013, many years after the problem had been noticed. A prime example of this is the ongoing construction of a “village”-type mixed-use area along the same lines as The Grove in L.A.’s Hollywood area. It is destined to be another “planned” community that, while it lacks the character of an organically-developed actual village, appeals to people because it is clean, convenient, and livable.

Our office is about twenty miles from Woodland Hills. Workers who live in Woodland Hills and feel their employee rights have been violated are encouraged to contact our office for a free consultation.