A senior-citizen residential facility proposed at the site of the old Westlake Hospital would violate city rules unless the Westlake Village City Council approves a change or the developer eliminates the proposed third story, according to a new environmental report on the project.

The proposal by Sunrise Senior Living calls for a 35-foot-high, three-story facility with up to 210 residential units for independent living and assisted living.

That level of density would violate city rules, according to the draft environmental impact report, which says the Westlake Village municipal code only allows for a two-story, 35-foot-high structure and up to 120 residential units.

By reducing the density, development would be more visually compatible with nearby homes, the report says. The 6.5-acre site is on the west side of Lakeview Canyon Road, south of Agoura Road.

The proposal would meet a community need, Wayne Sant, a senior vice president of Sunrise Senior Living Inc., said Monday in a written statement in response to the report.

"We believe our proposed community will benefit Westlake Village by providing badly needed senior living options and will fit well into the surrounding neighborhood," Sant wrote. "The city's draft EIR demonstrates there will be less than significant impacts to traffic and our design elements do not pose significant impact to the local visual character. Engaging community feedback has been a priority for Sunrise Senior Living and will continue to be throughout the planning process."

Brad Halpern, a homeowners association board member in the city's First Neighborhood, which is across the street from the site, said he is personally opposed to the project and prefers something else that he said would better serve the community. He emphasized that he was speaking only for himself, not the association.

"The community is clamoring for a community center," Halpern said. He would like to see the area used for a community center like the Borchard Community Center in Newbury Park.

Halpern expressed concerns about emergency vehicle noise and an increase in traffic, which he said could impede residents' access.

The report also says the proposed project would have some impact on noise levels because of construction, increased traffic and emergency vehicles.

The report is available for review at City Hall, the Westlake Village Library and the city's Web site. The public comment and review period will end Oct. 29. Any public comments concerning the project should be submitted in writing to City Hall.

On the Net: www.wlv.org