A property known to many as the “last commercial orange grove in the San Fernando Valley” is set to be replaced by a neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes in Woodland Hills, angering some neighbors who had fought to preserve it.

“Yes, I would prefer it to stay that way,” says Angel Arce, who lives across the street. “It’s better this way. We don’t have much of that left.”

The 14-acre property is all that remains of the Bothwell Ranch, which once produced much of the valley’s famous citrus crop. In early archival footage, Bothwell is often mentioned when talking about how golden, sweet oranges convinced millions of people to emigrate to California after the turn of the century.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles city planning officials signaled they will approve a project called Oakdale Estates, which would build 21 two-story homes on the site and require the felling and destruction of more than 1,137 remaining trees.

Calls to Borstein Enterprises, the development company that purchased the ranch, were not returned.

“I think they’re doing the right thing,” said Deven Tanna, whose Oakdale Avenue home sits just off the property’s northern boundary. “They’re beautiful single-family homes.”

But like many of his neighbors, he is torn. He says he will miss the distinctive, sweet scent of orange blossoms in the spring, followed by the fruit that then appears.

Because of its unusual nature, the grove has long been a landmark of the district: a striking, rectangular strip of green with a few outbuildings, surrounded by suburban sprawl.

Efforts to have the property protected, including an online petition, ultimately failed. But Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield was able to persuade the new owners to preserve several acres of land and a few hundred trees. The Mountain Recreations and Conservation Authority was appointed to manage the site for “educational purposes.”