Red Car Property: Fence, Water Lines, Suspicious Neighbors

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 26, 2016.  When water lines crossed the Red Car Property, yet another neighbor texted photos and suspicions of the Riverside Drive developer of who appeared to take a very large portion of the Red Car Property in the past week.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 26, 2016.  I spoke to the architect for the Riverside Drive project (between Gilroy and Clearwater) on September 23. I asked him to clear the path adjacent the fence, since he claimed we could still walk through.  (He also hoped the fence would stop people from dumping.  The photo above indicates otherwise.)

The photos and reports I'd received from neighbors, said it was very difficult to walk through due to the heavy build up of trampled dry brush and castor beans.  It was a fire hazard.  I had already sent the photos of the fence to the Red Car Property owner's rep, asking when brush clearance would be done, since this is the start Santa Ana Wind season.  Brush clearance happened the next day.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 26, 2016.  The architect claimed the water lines are temporary for the trees and other landscaping they will plant on the Red Car Property slope.  The Red Car Property actually extends 20-30  feet downslope.  

The fence to the right of the formerly most beautiful protected native Black Walnut Tree on the Red Car Property  was placed by a previous Riverside Drive lot owner in an attempt at extending their backyard.

I questioned the Riverside Drive project architect's agreement with the Red Car Property owner.  He seems to be doing what everyone else has done throughout the years, counting on the fact the Red Car Property is very hard to develop and hopefully the trees won't get taken out by future development on the Red Car Property.  He said they would maintain and water the newly planted trees on the Red Car Property for 2 years.  I asked if there was an agreement in writing.  He failed to answer.

Worth noting, cultivated trees (planted in a landscape project) are not protected by the City's Protected Native Tree Ordinance.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, September 26, 2016.  Last weekend people panicked when brush clearance was finally done on the upslope side,  between the fence and homes on Adelbert.  

The Riverside Drive architect swears they will not be using the fenced portion of the Red Car Property for grading, hauling, staging, storing  or for deliveries for anything other than landscape related to planting the the slope. Nor are they building the Red Car Property.   The fence seems a bit of overkill for a fence to keep out dumping and to keep people off their plantings.  He claims to have an agreement with the Red Car Property owner.  The Red Car Property owner's rep did not reply to questions regarding this agreement.