Happy New Year: Evolve

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Dead catfish near the Hyperion Bridge. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

There was something unusual about the mummified catfish we found just south of the Hyperion Bridge. It looked as if it crawled a few feet out of the river and just died there, as if it were trying to evolve into a land based-animal. The front fins appeared to give out under its weight.

There were none of the usual signs that it was killed by an animal, although the eyes had been eaten. Since the weather was so dry, it seemed to have zapped all the moisture out of the fish and it had no fish smell. Who knew we had catfish in the LA River?
Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Watch out for that catfish bite. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Menlo Property: No Sidewalk Yet Required On Glendale Blvd.

There is no sidewalk on Glendale Blvd adjacent to the Sam Menlo-owned River Glen Apartments. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The wide swath of grass between the River Glen Apartments and Glendale Blvd. is intended as a future City street dedication. Glendale Blvd. could really use a dedicated left turn lane from Glendale Blvd onto Riverside Drive. However, it's not required by City Planning as a part of the current Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for 2600-2750 Riverside Drive.

As mitigation for allowing the zone variance for the existing 157 units as well as approval for another 120 units on the vacant land south of the River Glen Apts on Riverside Drive, the City should, at the very minimum, require Menlo to build the sidewalk the length of their property on Glendale Blvd. But the current MND does not require it.

According to a neighbor on Waverly, when the City approved 63 condo units for the old Monte Sano Hospital site, the City included a condition requiring construction of a sidewalk the entire length of the Monte Sano Property on Glendale Blvd. The Monte Sano developer never broke ground after it was approved for the 63 condos earlier this decade.

The Monte Sano site is directly adjacent to the Menlo Property. They are the only two properties on the southeast side of Glendale Blvd between Waverly and Riverside Drive.

The cumulative effects of a sidewalk on both the Monte Sano and Menlo properties on Glendale Blvd. would improve pedestrian safety and encourage more people to walk to the LA River and Atwater from Silver Lake. Unless developers are required to do these things when a discretionary action by the City is involved, they never get done.

The Menlo Property goes to public hearing January 6, 2010.

Menlo Property: Grading Planned on a Massive Scale

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 14, 2009. All the earth, drainage benches and soldier piles (support structures) downslope from this retaining wall would be removed for the proposed 120 units. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

According to plans filed with City Planning for the proposed 120 units on the vacant Menlo Property, 68,000 cubic yards of earth would be removed. (An Olympic-sized swimming pool is 6,150 cubic yards.) That would also include ripping out all of the support structures and drainage benches built into the hillside for slope stabilization between 2001-2003.

The grading plan on file also indicates they will be leaving in place the giant retaining wall that fronts on Riverside near Fletcher, as well as the upper retaining wall (photo above).

Neighbors, as well as the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, have expressed extreme concern regarding health effects from grading activities for this site.

The scale of the grading operation leads many long-time community activists to believe this is just another plan by convicted slumlord, Sam Menlo & Century Quality Management to get the entitlements so they can sell the land for more money, and not actually build the site themselves. Like so many other sites in the neighborhood, this one is just another chapter in the Legacy of Failed Development.

The public hearing is scheduled for January 6, 2010.

Menlo Property: Public HearingJanuary 6, 2010

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 25, 2009. Plans for the Menlo Property include cutting 68,000 cubic yards of earth from the slope above Riverside Drive north of Fletcher. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Public Hearing for Menlo Property
City Planning Advisory Agency

Wed., January 6, 2010 (continued from July 22, 2009)
9:30 AM
City Hall room 1020

Case numbers:
ENV-2009-517-MND
VTT-70871-CN
ZA-2009-534-ZV-SPR
2600-2750 Riverside Drive

120 condo units are proposed for the vacant Menlo Property, 2600-2750 Riverside Drive. The discretionary action involves environmental review, a zone variance to allow the 157 existing units and merger and resubdivision of lots for the new condos. Of course, they've been keeping quiet about the acre of encroachments from neighbors on Waverly, which they are allowing to continue, but still counting in their total square footage to gain the maximum number of units.

There is a lot of history to the Menlo Property. It is the poster child for the Legacy of Failed Development in our neighborhood.

See all Menlo Property posts.

Updated Neighborhood Map

Corralitas Red Car Property Neighborhood. (Click on map to enlarge.)

LA River: Red Car Bridge Footings

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. For years, Silver Lake park activists discussed reusing the Red Car Trolley bridge footings at the Hyperion Bridge, by building a pedestrian/bike/equestrain bridge atop the footings. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

LA River: Clams & Random Stuff Found

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. LA River clam shells found just south of the Hyperion Bridge. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Considering the recent rains, the river was remarkably clean last week. The plastic bags trees were not in full bloom. For the first time, we spotted some clam shells near the Hyperion Bridge.

You always find random things in the riverbed. Perhaps the most random find we had occurred a few years back: a dead, partially eaten, 8" Piranha near the Fletcher Bridge. Piranha are definitely not a native species.

Last week's LA River sightings included live and dead carp, a dead 10" catfish, Great Blue Herons, egrets, a variety of ducks and water birds, geese, red tail hawks, a turkey vulture, a turtle, shopping carts, unopened condoms, a suspicious looking baggie of (most likely) drugs and a glow-in-the-dark vibrator.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Clams found in the LA River. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Los Angeles River: Turtle Sighting

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 24, 2009. Considering the turtle was across the river, sunning on a rock, this is the best shot I could get.

Elysian Valley: Marsh Street Park

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Marsh Street Park on the LA River features a giant rattlesnake and frog as play equipment. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Elysian Valley: LA River Bike Path Improvements

Photo:Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Signs state work will continue south of Fletcher through February 2010. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Los Angeles River: Fish For Lunch

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 24, 2009. An egret caught a fish for lunch in the LA River just north of Los Feliz.

Los Angeles River: Take A Hike

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 24, 2009. Egrets and Blue Heron are common sights on our part the LA River. This rural scene is just north of Los Feliz Blvd. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Drive: Christmas Cactus

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 21, 2009. Merry Christmas. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Drive: Winter Wonderland

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 21, 2009. Polar bears, penguins & elves ride reindeer on spinning carosels; reindeer see-saw with Santa; the ferris wheel spins; Mr. & Mrs. Claus relax on the porch swing; all to the sounds of Christmas music. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 21, 2009. After dark, peppermint lollypops light the way for Santa dropping down the chimney. Judging by the size of that Chistmas stocking, the kids at this house have been very good. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Drive: The Festive End

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 21, 2009. Parts of Corralitas have the holiday spirit. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Los Angeles River: Christmas Geese

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. Geese in LA River just north of the Hyperion Bridge. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 22, 2009. The geese were taking in the view south through the Hyperion Bridge. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Christmas Coming to Corralitas Drive

Photo; Diane Edwardson, December 9, 2009.

Silver Lake Ave. Public Staircase: Dumping

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 19, 2009. A large pile of trash that seems to have come from Buchanan St. in Highland Park, was found dumped on the Red Car Property, Thursday morning. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

DWP Property: Trees Gone

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 19, 2009. Delayed by the rain for a week, DWP cut down the remaining trees near their transmission towers at 2333 Fletcher at Riverside Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Black Walnuts off Riverside Drive

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. California Black Walnut Trees on Riverside Drive lots adjacent to the Red Car Property, near Clearwater St. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Public Staircase: Partial Repair

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 17, 2009. City Bureau of Street Services got a workout today repairing the 3rd landing on Corralitas Public Staircase. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

This morning, to my surprise, I ran into a City crew repairing the Corralitas Public Staircase. Unfortunately, they were only repairing broken concrete on the 3rd landing, and not the side of the public staircase that's crumbling into the Corralitas Pits of Doom. (Perhaps the City considered the liability risk if someone tripped on the broken landing and fell into the Pits of Doom.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 17, 2009. The Corralitas Pits of Doom are protected by yellow caution tape in the background. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

California Black Walnuts Dropping Leaves

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. California Black Walnuts near Rose Scharlin Preschool. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Mudtastic!

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. The Red Car Property's Lot C may swallow cars in mud this winter. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Some neighbors of Lot C have no respect for the Red Car Property. Run-off from the newly stabilized slope of of 2596 Adelbert contributes to the existing problems north of India.

Lake Red Car

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. Lake Red Car is the vernal pool near Rose Scharlin Preschool. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Perhaps it's time Rose Scharlin Co-op Preschool recruited more neighborhood families who can walk their kids to school. Too many people driving and parking on the Red Car Property create a muddy mess.

Wellies Required

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 13, 2009. Red Car Canyon Lake is back. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Flat Alien Bug

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 11, 2009. A small, 2", flat, Jerusalem Cricket found on Corraltias Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Every rainy season, I get more email from neighbors thinking they've seen a flat scorpion in the street. While I have no doubt we have scorpions in the hills, this is a Jerusalem Cricket. When they've been flattened by cars it's an understandable mistake. However, once you've seen a live Jerusalem Cricket, you know where H.R Geiger got the inspiration for Alien.

They seem to come out after the rain. Look for them in the street - live or dead - early in the morning or after dark. My dog was fascinated and a little frightened of these 3'' bugs that walk much faster than you think they'd move. Around my house, they're known as "Alien Bugs."

If you take a photo of a live Jerusalem Cricket, or any other unusual bug in the neighborhood, please send it to us along with the date, location, approximate size and any behavior it was exhibiting at the time you witnessed it: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

Read more about Jerusalem Crickets on:
What's That Bug?
Bug Guide

DWP Property: These Trees Are Doomed

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 10, 2009. All these trees are scheduled to be cut down on Saturday. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

All the trees in the above photo are scheduled to be cut down on Saturday 12-12-09. The trees are at the base of the DWP power line tower at 2333 Fletcher Drive (behind the parking lot for HOME Restaurant).

Yesterday, a Waverly Drive neighbor met on site with Greg Bartz DWP liaison to CD 4 and Steve Cole, DWP Water Systems Property Manager. Both said all the trees have been on the schedule for removal because the dangers posed by trees in/near power lines. But, looking at another photo, the trees are not so close to the tower.

The neighbor expressed dismay at the loss of the trees. The trees, while non-native, improve the appearance of the otherwise barren hillside. Bartz and Cole said it was not their call to make.

12-11-09, 11:30 AM UPDATE: Trees are indeed doomed by policy. Steve Cole from the DWP responds in an email, " I did some research on this and it is Power System's policy to have no trees in their right of way for overhead transmission. The right of way for large transmission towers can be up to 75' on either side of the tower. The policy is guided by federal requirements from FERC which regulates high voltage power transmission and distribution."

Urban Archaeology

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 10, 2009. Ancient retaining walls were uncovered by Wednesday's brush clearance on DWP Property at 2333 Fletcher. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Two weeks ago the same view looked like this:
Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 25, 2009. Bougainvillea, planted to discourage graffiti vandals, grew into walls hiding a well-entrenched homeless encampment for years. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Historic Viadcut Footings:Guerrilla Garden

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 9, 2009. While some bemoan the mostly non-native & non-historic guerrilla garden at the historic viaduct footings, most neighbors welcome anything that discourages graffiti vandals and dumping on the Red Car Property. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

See also: Silver Lake's Stonehenge

8 Months After Fire, DWP Trims Trees

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 9, 2009. DWP workers trim trees off public staircase adjacent to HOME Restaurant on Fletcher. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Work began today on clearing brush adjacent to the public staircase near Riverside & Fletcher, eight months after a small grass fire on another part of the same DWP-owned property between Fletcher & Waverly.

A large homeless encampment persisted for years in the privacy of the dense brush. Neighbors had sent email to CD4 and the DWP for months pleading with them to trim the trees to discourage such use of DWP property. Apparently the DWP was the only one unaware that the grove of trees was on their property at 2333 Fletcher Drive, no matter how many times we sent the photo below.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 21, 2009. The fire started out of the frame (to the left), in another grove of trees. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Snow on the San Gabriels

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 8, 2009, 8:49 AM. The same power lines blocked great photos of the Station Fire from Corralitas Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Rainbow Ends in Silver Lake

Photo: Maryann Kuk, December 7, 2009, 3:16 PM. Silver Lake Reservoir from West Silver Lake Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Maryann sent some spectacular views of the reservoir this afternoon. I usually don't run photos from outside the immediate neighborhood surrounding the old Red Car Line (between the 2 Freeway Terminus and the Hyperion Bridge). I can justify using these since the rainbow below ends near Monte Sano.

Photo: Maryann Kuk, December 7, 2009, 3:16 PM. Monte Sano is just beyond the rainbow's end. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Corralitas Pits of Doom: Still Dangerous, Some Progress

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 7, 2009. Steel rebar in the pit next to the 2467 Corralitas Drive & the Corralitas Public Staircase. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Since Friday, concrete was poured into the Corralitas Pits of Doom. Exposed rebar could still be dangerous to unsuspecting dogs chasing balls down the hill or pedestrians falling off the public staircase. It is progress. It's also a good sign the contractor called for a Building & Safety inspection on Friday. Hopefully we'll see completion of the retaining wall soon. However, 1-3" of rain is predicted this week.

6 Months Ago: Menlo Property

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 5, 2009. Even light rain creates a lot of water run-off on Riverside Drive at the Menlo Property. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Stormwater runs off the entire 9.9-acre Menlo Property (between Fletcher & Glendale Blvd) into Riverside Drive. Extensive concrete drainage benches lead directly into the street, including drainage from the Riverglen Apts.

Riverside Drive has no gutter. The slope of the street allows water to pool up at the curb, even in the summer. The only stormdrain inlets on either side of Riverside Drive between Glendale Blvd and Fletcher are only at Fletcher, but the street does not drain in that direction.

The sidewalk adjacent to the Menlo Property retaining wall near HOME Restaurant is non-existent due to improper drainage on the site (photo above).

Ten years ago, the Board of Building & Safety Commissioners ordered Menlo to do the slope stabilization and fix the giant retaining wall adjacent to Riverside Drive. One of the conditions (that went unmet) was repairing the sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

Corralitas Pits of Doom

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 24, 2009. As of last week, the Corralitas Pits of Doom, adjacent to the Corralitas Public Staircase, are now protected by caution tape. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The Pits of Doom at 2467 Corralitas Drive were approved by Building & Safety for a retaining wall, back on January 20, 2009. For the past 4 weeks, they've been exposed; no protective covering whatsoever.

See all Corralitas Pits of Doom Posts.

Menlo Property: Why Dump Here?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 25, 2009. Mattress & frame dumped at the corner of the Riverglen Apts & vacant Menlo Property on Riverside Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

It seems dumping has always been an issue with the Menlo Property. However, why would you drive here to dump where someone might see you dumping at the southernmost edge of the Sam Menlo-owned Riverglen Apartments on Riverside Drive? If you were driving here to dump trash, wouldn't you dump a few hundred feet away, where there were no neighbors to observe your illegal activity?
Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 5, 2009. Couches dumped at the edge of the same driveway were turned into a homeless encampment. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

So it appears the frequent dumping at the edge of the southernmost Riverglen Apts' driveway, might actually be coming from the Riverglen Apts. If so, then Sam Menlo and Century Quality Management need to do a better job at informing their residents and staff that it is NOT OK to just leave discarded furniture on the curb without calling 311 (the City) for a bulky item pick-up.

Mattresses and couches frequently sit on the curb for weeks at a time. Area residents (who do not live at the Riverglen Apts) frequently plead with CD4 to get the dumping picked up before it attracts more dumping and other problems.

Menlo doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation in the community.

Ugly Rooftop Watch: Menlo Property

Photo: August 13, 2009. Rooftop of Sam Menlo-owned, 157-unit, Riverglen Apts. at Riverside Dr. & Glendale Blvd. Hyperion Bridge is in the background. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Is there any wonder why screening of rooftop equipment should be mandatory for all construction in and around Designated Hillside Areas?

Expect a public hearing in January for the zone variance and application to build 120 units on the Menlo Property. The City Planning Advisory Agency case was continued in July.