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Community members and veterans outside Holderman Hall on Federal Avenue fill out postcards to sen

The continuing controversy surrounding the management of the Veterans Affairs lands down the street from UCLA, on Wilshire Boulevard near the 405 Freeway, took another turn Wednesday with a public showing of opposition to a proposed land swap with the U.S. Army Reserve.

Also, after reviewing the General Services Administration’s Draft Environmental Impact Study, the Los Angeles City Department of Transportation has strongly urged the government to revise its analysis of the traffic impact of the proposed expansion of FBI headquarters at the Wilshire Federal Building, which sits on the veterans’ property.

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky joined with several other community representatives, including City Councilman Jack Weiss, local residents and veterans in front of Holderman Hall on Federal Avenue to protest the potential land swap.

They contend that the Veterans Affairs lands are for veterans’ interests only, and the U.S. Army Reserve has no right to sell or trade it.

The U.S. Army Reserve proposed the land swap of a 10-acre parcel located in the southeast corner of the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Federal Avenue in a Los Angeles Times advertisement on April 16.

According to a statement on the U.S. Army West Los Angeles Real Property Exchange Web site, the land includes three buildings, Holderman Hall, Munemori Hall and a detached maintenance building.

Buyers would agree to build replacement facilities at existing government property in the Southern California cities of Bell and Miramar, as well as tentatively at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside.

Wednesday morning was “industry day,” an event in which potential bidders gathered at Holderman Hall to receive information about the auction for the site.

Protesters held signs outside the building as politicians spoke of their collective opposition to the swap.

“We have to stand together. ... We cannot allow this to happen,” said Santa Monica City Councilman Richard Bloom.

Vincent James, a representative for Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Boxer had written a letter to Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly asking him to halt the land swap and work with the federal government to develop a Federal Land Use Master Plan, which would be used to determine how locations delegated to veterans could be of best use to those veterans.

Paul Reznik, president of the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, said the main consequence of new development on these lands for UCLA would be the projected increase in traffic, especially with the current traffic as a result of lane construction on the 405 Freeway.

But the main issue at hand for Reznik and many other community leaders regards the protection of Veterans Affairs lands.

“These 10 acres are part of the veterans’ property, and we want it to stay that way,” Reznik said.

The department of transportation has also criticized the proposed expansion of the FBI headquarters at the Wilshire Federal Building. The department’s letter regarding the proposed FBI headquarters expansion was issued on April 20 and included several concerns about the environmental report issued by the General Services Administration.

“The traffic analysis from the (environmental impact study) is filled with errors, omissions and inconsistencies. ... All of these technical errors will have substantial and material impact on the conclusion of the traffic analysis. Therefore it is imperative that the traffic analysis be properly redone to correct the current technical deficiencies.”

The letter, signed by department general manager James Okazaki, also said the department of transportation had not been further consulted for the FBI project after initial input, which was “limited to identifying study intersections and assisting in the preparation of a list of other development projects in the area.”

But General Services Administration spokeswoman Mary Filippini said there might be a misunderstanding on the part of the department of transportation’s letter drafters.

After initial meetings, department of transportation representatives participated in further discussions with the General Services Administration, along with various other interested community groups over the course of several months, she said.

She said the General Services Administration is in the midst of the National Environmental Policy Act process and is sorting through the comments and addressing concerns raised during a public-comment period that ended April 24.

The General Services Administration will also meet with concerned parties and take their concerns into consideration for the final environmental impact study to be released later this year.

The issues brought up in the letter echo concerns of local homeowners associations, many of which have joined the Federal Building Coalition.

Laura Lake, the coalition’s co-chair, said community groups had not been consulted on recent developments on Veterans Affairs lands, such as the Federal Building expansion and the land swap.

She added that coalition members also want the environmental impact study to be completely revised.