Stop Development of LA River Property in Scenic Corridor and Critical Habitat

Re: Illegal Dumping of Fill Dirt and Debris in potential development at 11130, 11140, and 11160 Oro Vista Avenue, Sunland, CA (Pictures Available)

From: Elaine Brown, Sunland, CA (818) 353-9331

I am determined to stop the development of this 4 and 3/4 acres property zoned Rural Agricultural (RA) for horsekeeping in Sunland, CA located on the south side of Big Tujunga Canyon Road which borders the Los Angeles river on the north.

This property provides a buffer zone between civilization and wilderness. A nine-acre park continues and expands the buffer to the west. Attention created by this property prompted Councilwoman Wendy Greuel to put forth a motion to the City Council to clearup a discrepancy between the zoning density of the General and Community Plans by lowering the density of the undeveloped properties to the east so they will be developed as zoned (A1, A2, and RA) with minimum density.

This precious property was not likely to be developed, we were told by Wendy Greuel's planning deputy, Dale Thrush, when it was pointed out to him that the property is crossed diagonally by a concrete drainage channel.

Unfortunately, at that time, there was no early notification to the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council or anyone else when the ENV application was presented by the developer for a Mitigated Negative Declaration. The developer stated, we later learned, on that application that there were no environmental problems. The MND was automatically approved three weeks later without the community's knowledge or input.

Upon learning about this a year or so ago, I undertook to put together a package regarding this property's numerous physical and environmental problems. Wendy subsequently forwarded my package to Mr. Hadar Plotkin, head of the LAENV Department, where it has been for several months. At this time, it is my understanding that the only thing between development or none is the Critical Habitat for the Santa Ana Sucker.

If that is the case, Los Angeles City Planning, Building and Safety, and the ENV Department have somehow mitigated the following: the drainage channel; the location in relationship to an earth quake fault discovered in the 1971 Sylmar Quake; the location in a flood plain of which a case study for soil movement in the riverbed was done with photographs at this exact location in 1969; the location within the water shed of Los Angeles' last clean aquafir; the location along the Big Tujunga Wash which is not only a channel in, but also a source of the LA River - Los Angeles' channelization policies are supposedly to prevent new channelization as well as to undo the channelization wrongly done in the past; the inclusion of the entire property within a scenic corridor of the San Gabriel/Verdugo Mountains Scenic Corridor Preservation Plan where even one-story houses on this property would violate the view shed as specified in the Scenic Plan; the legal precedents as to California State law against spot zoning; the directives requiring the necessity to preserve horsekeeping property and to maintain consistency of development in the Los Angeles General Plan and our Community Plan; the prolific local wildlife, because the property is located very close to the Angeles National Forest; the traffic and safety as the property is located at a place that locals refer to as Dead Man's corner because of the frequent and severe accidents - See Maria Mahia's newly won appeal creating state law which requires that all projects which affect wildlife and traffic must obtain an EIR; the discrepancies in the zoning between the Los Angeles General Plan and the Community Plan in which the higher density of the GP is being used even though the CP takes precedence as to land use - if the property were to be developed at all, it should be as presently zoned for horsekeeping; and finally the property's proximity to an unofficial trail which unites just kitty corner from the property with an official trail at a Scenic Corridor Staging Area which may be part of the Rim of the Valley trail system.

Near the end of the first week of August, the developer started moving in ten-wheelers of fill without permission, permit, or a haul route. Several calls were made to the LADBS starting on August 9th. By the 17th as many as 100 ten-wheeler loads of fill dirt and debris had been dumped on the property. It is my understanding per the Council office that the DBS inspectors found no permits to dump or haul and told them to cease and desist on the 17th. Also, though as yet unconfirmed, Oro Vista according to local memory used to be posted for limited or restricted vehicular weight and can not be used as a haul route - legally or illegally.

Nevertheless, the developer defiantly continued and today, August 19th, he brought in a grader, leveled the fill dirt and debris from about 120 ten-wheelers and continued to accept ten-wheelers' loads up until about 5 PM. He did not compact this dirt when he leveled it and it stands about 18 inches high or more. In order to develop this property, as much as ten feet or more of vertical fill would be required to raise it to one foot above the flood level as mitigated by standard LA flood zone policy.

It would be a travesty if the development of this property is not stopped. Can you help me?