In the midst of overwhelming community support for Caruso Affiliated’s Palisades Village project, an appeal was filed on April 18 with the city regarding its approval of the project’s parcel map and adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND).

Jack Allen, a Palisades resident since 1943 with a long history as an anti-development activist, filed the appeal on behalf of the Palisades Preservation Association (PPA), according to documents reviewed by the Palisadian-Post. PPA, which has no website or social media presence and is not registered as an entity with the California Secretary of State, has long been widely considered within the community to be a one-man organization.

In response to news of the appeal, Rick Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated, told the Post, “Given the amount of time that I and my team have spent on almost a daily basis responding to a few members of the community, including Mr. Allen, we were surprised by the appeal that was filed. We also have great concern that this will delay the project.”

The appeal will be heard at a hearing before the City Planning Commission on Thursday, April 28 at 8:30 a.m. at Van Nuys City Hall, located at 14410 Sylvan Street, Van Nuys, CA 91401. The public is invited.

Read the full story in the April 21 issue of the Palisadian-Post.

Photo caption: Rick Caruso listens to a Palisades resident at one of many community meetings about the project.

Photo credit: Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer