La Crescenta residents cite fire evacuation concerns in battle against affordable housing project at Briggs Avenue and Foothill Boulevard

LA CRESCENTA, Calif. (KABC) -- Concerned residents and La Crescenta city leaders are urging Los Angeles County to take another look at a proposed five-story affordable housing site.

They say Briggs Avenue and Foothill Boulevard offer only one way out, and with the proposed development, there would be a dangerous evacuation bottleneck and no safe way to escape danger.

The neighborhood is in an area designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone by the state fire marshal.

The proposed five-story apartment complex would replace an 80-year-old motel at the corner of Briggs Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. The development would include 66 units and potentially house hundreds of residents.

Tatyana Esmaelian, a La Crescenta resident, said the location could create serious problems during a wildfire evacuation.

“I see this as a disaster happening, where it’s a repeat of Palisades Fire meets Eaton Fire, where people will get gridlocked to come out,” Esmaelian said.

Residents say the intersection is already a potential evacuation choke point. Above the proposed development are already hundreds of homes, with Briggs Avenue serving as a primary evacuation route.

Chris Kilpatrick of the Crescenta Valley Town Council called the proposed location particularly problematic.

“This is probably the worst place in the community to put a development like this,” Kilpatrick said.

Kilpatrick said Briggs Avenue is already extremely narrow, and that previous evacuation drills have highlighted challenges with traffic leaving the community.

"In past evacuation drills, the community has expressed that it took hours for the community to evacuate, and the most dense development in the community, potentially situated at the chokepoint, where Briggs meets Foothill Boulevard, could create a problem," Kilpatrick said.

The proposed complex falls within the district represented by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Barger was unavailable for an interview, but her office said that, because of California's affordable housing crisis, state law prevents local governments from blocking projects like this one.

Esmaelian said she believes the development should be evaluated based on the specific risks facing the neighborhood.

“It’s not something that could be blanketed to every community, and because we’re in a very, severely high fire zone, it’s not appropriate,” she said.

Esmaelian is calling on the county to conduct a proper evacuation study before moving forward.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it is working with the fire and public works departments to review the situation.

“We remain committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure the safety of those who live, work, go to school, and play in the area surrounding the project site,” the department said in a written statement.

Residents emphasized that the community is not against affordable housing itself; they are against a development that could put lives in danger.

“We’re both in favor of reasonable development, as well as in favor of safety,” Kilpatrick said.

“We are opposed to putting something in a place that is irresponsible, that puts existing residents' lives at risk because of where we live along the foothills,” she said.

County supervisors are expected to vote on public funding for the proposed complex within the next couple of months.