More Signs of Spring

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 23, 2009. Native California black walnut (Juglans californica) sapling on Corralitas Drive is sprouting new growth. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Semi Tropic Development Approval Delayed

Photo: Futterer, Holyland Exhibition, 1960. Note the large quantity of different types of fill dirt dumped at the portion of the property closest to Rosebud in the proposed development site at 2400 Allesandro. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009, on the advice of the City Attorney, City Council President Eric Garcetti sent the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract development proposal back to the City Council Planning & Land Use committee (PLUM) for further assessment of biological resources, aesthetics and geology/soils.

It will be back to the full City Council for a vote on April 3, 2009.

By the way, there's an City election next Tuesday. Garcetti and PLUM chair, Ed Reyes are running for re-election. Perhaps the fact that the developer had listed the property for sale as a 16-lot subdivision prior to gaining approval for the subdivision had more to do with the deferral than anything evidence submitted to date.

Stay up to date with the latest submissions to case number CF 09-0082 on City Clerk Connect.

Review the Legacy of Failed Development in our neighborhood.

Native Wildflowers in Bloom on Corralitas

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 23, 2009. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

California native hyacinth (Dichelostemma capitatum capitatum, also known as "Blue Dicks") is in bloom just off the second level of the Corralitas Staircase. The tiny purple flowers will even grow from cracks in the staircase if they get enough rain.

Learn more about native plants at the Theodore Payne Foundation.

The Big Picture

Photo: Shawnda Thomas Faveau, March 2, 2008. The wide angle lens flattens the steep hillsides, but you can see how close together homes are on the Silver Lake (right) side of the 2 Freeway. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

When freeways are the dominant feature of the neighborhood landscape, neighbors fight tooth and nail for over every zone change and subdivision. The open space of the Red Car Property and the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Lots become a refuge for neighbors who want to walk without dodging traffic on narrow, overcrowded residential streets.

It's not uncommon to see 500 sq. ft. houses on 800 sq. ft. lots on Riverside Place, part of the original Hunter Terrace subdivision. Duplexes make up a large portion of the housing stock on Corralitas Drive, Silver Ridge Ave. and Lake View Ave. Many single family homes and duplexes in the area also have single units or "granny flats." The Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract is primarily made up of 2500 sq. ft. lots, already half the City standard lot of 5000 sq.ft. for single family homes. Parking is always an issue, particularly on Red Flag Days.

A friend from Michigan (literally, a flat state) describes Silver Lake as a place out of a Dr. Seuss book. "There are houses on top of houses on top of houses and just when you get to the crest of the hill and it curls over, there's another house hanging off the edge, where no house should be!"

Red Car Canyon Lake

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February17, 2009. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Lake Red Car

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 17, 2009.
(Click on photo to enlarge.)

The abandoned Honda finally got hauled away.

Trees Fall in February

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, February 2, 2008. Red Car Canyon after the rain. (Click on photo to enlarge.) 
Despite a mostly dry year in 2008, enough rain fell in one February storm causing another eucalyptus tree to fall in Red Car Canyon. Eucalyptus trees have notoriously shallow root systems and do not help hold hillsides together.

It Always Rains in February

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 2005. Many trees fell in Red Car Canyon during the record rains of 2005. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

In February 2005, neighbors anxiously watched nearby slopes and eucalyptus trees as record rainfall soaked Los Angeles. Trees went down all over the Red Car Property. Saturated slopes slid at both the Corralitas and Adelbert ends of the property. The Adelbert slide undermined the street. Red Car Canyon between Lake View and Corralitas (photo above) was often impassable due to downed trees and standing water.

There was so much water on the Red Car Property that year, a stream ran from the canyon to Corralitas Drive as well as the opposite direction, to India St. It fooled the Great Blue Heron, whose daily morning flight path crossed the Red Car Property on route from the LA River to Silver Lake Reservoir. The heron changed his flight path to follow the Red Car Property stream, just in case there was something worth fishing out of the stream.

"Lot C" Resembles a Used Car Lot

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 14, 2009. Red Car Property north of India St. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

"Lot C" of the Red Car Property has always been a problem. In photos as far back as 1904, it's been crumbling into the dirt road below. People who live on Riverside Drive don't want to park their cars on Riverside, so they park on the Red Car Property. Who knows how many vehicles are just abandoned. Like the drilling rig, some have not moved in many, many years.

Snow on the San Gabriels, 4:25 PM

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 9, 2009. San Gabriel Mountains from Corralitas Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Couch Behind Rose Scharlin

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 7, 2009. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Couches often find a home on the Red Car Property. Since it's private property, it's 1. hard to get the City to pick it up, and 2. even harder to explain to the operator at the City's Bulky Item Pick-up how to find the couch or other dumping (like stolen and abandoned vehicles). The couch in the above photo has been on the Red Car Property behind Rose Scharlin Preschool since at least January 14, 2009 (photo below).

UPDATE: A neighbor reports the couch has been there since October 2008.


Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 14, 2009. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Stripped Honda Under Stormy Sky

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, February 7, 2009. Stripped Honda on the Red Car Property. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The Honda has been there for at least a week. It looks like someone recently tried to set fire to the gas tank. At least it's been raining.

UPDATE 2-17-09: The Honda was finally hauled away.

Mothra's Cousin Lands on Corralitas

Photo: Shawnda Thomas Faveau, February 5, 2009. White-Lined Sphinx Moth.
(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Shawnda caught some terrific photos of a moth with a substantial and furry body, with a 3" wingspan that landed on her doorstep last night. It was still around this morning. After posing for a few more photos, it flapped its wings rapidly and flew away like a hummingbird.

It was not quite as a large as the MOTHRA! reported last month. Although, Shawnda gets Black Witch Moths on her doorstep too. Since painting her house silver, she's noticed an increasing number of different species of moths.


Photo: Shawnda Thomas Faveau, February 5, 2009. White-Lined Sphinx Moth.
(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Shawnda used Bug Guide and searched by bug shape. She discovered it was a White-Lined Sphinx Moth, also called Striped Morning Sphinx, (Hyles lineata). According to LA County Natural History Museum Dept. of Entomology's "Common Insects of the LA Basin" webpage, the White-Lined Sphinx Moth is one of the most common in Los Angeles.

These Trees Don't Count

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 1, 2007. Corner of Allesandro & Sunflower/Rosebud, it depends on which side of the street you're on. Rosebud was moved for freeway construction. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

All of the trees on the corner of Sunflower and Allesandro do not count among the approximately 60 significant and native trees that will be removed if a developer's plans to subdivide the three 1-acre Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract lots.

In City Planning-speak, a "significant" tree has a trunk diameter of 8" or more. So most of the trees in the above photo will NOT count among those taken out for the development. Thus, none of those trees were taken into consideration during environmental review of the proposed subdivision, but will be removed nonetheless.

The very significant 38" trunk diameter pine tree only has to be replaced with one tree that will not reach the same size in our lifetimes. The California black walnut and coast live oak are supposed to be replaced at higher ratios according to the City's Protected Tree Ordinance. However, City Planning staff can't seem to cite the correct ordinance in the conditions for approval of the subdivision and zone change.

Beware: Corralitas Guard Dog on Duty

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 4, 2009. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

With all the reports of violent assaults on men in Silver Lake, Corralitas neighbors are shoring up the neighborhood defense with a new guard dog on the hill.

City Councilmember Tom LaBonge and Northeast LAPD will host a meeting to discuss recent crime activity in the Silver Lake community:

Thursday, February 5, 2009
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Ivanhoe Elementary School
2828 Herkimer Street
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Adopt a dog or cat from the currently overcrowded North Central Animal Shelter.

Speculator Moves Closer to Dream

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 2004. Semi Tropic lots
slated for subdivision. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Tuesday, the developer trying to subdivide the three 1-acre lots into 16 lots in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, moved closer to his goal. The City Council's Planning & Land Use Management Committee (PLUM), chaired by City Councilmember Ed Reyes denied the neighbors appeal.

Councilmember and PLUM Chair Ed Reyes (CD1) seemed perturbed by evidence presented by one neighbor: the developer had already listed the property for sale as "16 lots" as of January 14, 2009. Final approval has not yet been granted and goes to a full City Council vote on February 17, 2009.

In response to issues raised by 10 neighbors who testified at the hearing and the many more who sent email in support of the appeal, Reyes called for a meeting of the "City Family" (CD1, CD13 and City Planning) to ensure the mitigations requested by Councilmember Garcetti (CD13) were adequately addressed in the final decision before going to the full City Council.

Reyes also suggested CD13 staff might need need to review the tree replacement and landscaping requirements. This would be the one positive for neighbors to take away from Tuesday's defeat, since City Planning staff was still citing an outdated oak tree ordinance, even after the East Area Planning Commission instructed Planning staff to cite the correct protected tree ordinance in their decision prior to the neighbors taking the appeal to PLUM.

UPDATE 2-17-09: City Council continued the item until February 25, 2009.