Dozens of people packed the pews of St. Mel Catholic Church Friday to come up with a plan to stop developers from closing a historic golf course and country club to build nearly 400 homes on the land.

Residents at Friday’s meeting say their top concern is more congestion in a high fire hazard zone.

“I think it’ll be the death of Woodland Hills if they go ahead with this project,” said Woodland Hills resident Stephen Scheff.

Built in the 1920s, the club and golf course have been around for generations, sitting on 93 acres just east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and south of the 101 Freeway.

The club was sold in 2020 and is owned by Newport Beach-based real estate firm Arrimus Capital.

According to the project’s website, developers plan to close the club and use a 20-acre portion to build 175 single-family homes, 126 apartments and 97 rent-restricted senior homes.

“The fire risks and just the changing character of our community,” said Anita Zaccaro. “It’s in a high fire zone and it’s a lot of units they are considering putting there. I think it’s way too massive for the area.”

The developers filed an application with the city of LA last month and claim their efforts will help address the housing crisis.They’re seeking approval under AB 2011, a state law that fast-tracks housing permits in commercial corridors by bypassing environmental review and public hearings.

“This is not a commercial corridor and as a result, it’s a misapplication of the law,” said Matt Heisie, with the Woodland Hills Neighborhood Collective.

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield explains that Governor Newsom recently signed amendments to the bill, redefining what makes a commercial corridor – instead of use, it’s the width of the street. He claims the developers lobbied lawmakers in Sacramento to craft amendment language to avoid public scrutiny.

“If this moves forward under those state laws, it never comes to a vote before the city council,” said Blumenfield. “I ultimately think this is probably going to be something that ends up in court.”

Currently, the developer’s application is under review by the city’s planning department.

Blumenfield says he wants to get clarity from the city’s land use attorneys to make sure the state law is correctly interpreted before the project goes any further.

The developer and project spokesperson did not immediately respond to NBC4’s request for comment.