Corralitas Public Staircase: Let's Hope This Is Only Temporary

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, April 19, 2016.  Asphault is no substitue for concrete on a well used public staircase.  We will follow up with the DWP on this one.

Corralitas Public Staircase: DWP Digs Up Landing

 

Photos: Corralitas Neighbors, April 19, 2016.  Today, the DWP dug up a landing on the Corralitas Public Staircase to put in water main connections for a duplex under construction at the top of the public staircase.

Neighbors were advised the DWP would be putting n a water main connection off the public staircase this week.  However we had no idea the DWP would be digging up the public staircase and started sending photos first thing this morning.  We posted the photos to our Twitter feed as soon as we received them. 

According to one neighbor, the DWP dug a trench all the way up the hill, on the opposite side of the public staircase, then crossed under the staircase at the base of the last flight of stairs.  According to the workers on site, they would only be replacing the landing they dug up.

We hope the work doesn't undermine the Corralitas Public Staircase.  The staircase dates to at least 1922 as shown in the Hunter Terrace - Elysian Gardens real estate brochure).  Portions of the staircase are in dire need of repair.  

The two flights at the bottom of the public staircase were rebuilt in 1961, when the state cut deeply  into the hillside for construction of the 2 Freeway.  From 1960 - 1962, Rosebud, Corralitas and the pubic staircase were moved to accommodate freeway construction. 
 

Corralitas Public Staircase: Mudwatch, Rainfall Totals

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, April 8, 2016.  Before dawn this morning, the mud run-off was significant from the Corralitas Drive construction site above the public staircase.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, April 8, 2016.  By 9 AM we'd only gotten a 1/10 of an inch of rain.  Th construction site needs to control the dirt and rocks tumbling down from their extremely steep site onto the public staircase and sidewalk.

We track rainfall totals in the Corralitas Drive rain gauge...

April 7 - 8, 2016 by 9 AM: 0.1"
*Rain year to date: 8.7"

*Normally, the "rain year" would have ended June 30.  However, this rain year, California joined the rest of the country, reporting rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 rain years on Corralitas Drive.  The 2014-2015 rain year ended with 15.17."  We got an unprecedented 4" between July 1 and September 30, 2015.

Corralitas Drive: Concrete Pylon Abandoned On Sidewalk By Developer

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 1, 2015.  For the better part of a month, an 8' long concrete pylon has blocked the sidewalk across from the construction site at 2612 - 2614 Corralitas Drive.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

Neighbors have asked the developer to remove the pylon which was dug out of the site weeks ago.  It's not like we can call the City for a pick up.  The homeowner where the pylon is abandoned is not at all pleased.  Construction workers have been parking their trucks on the sidewalk elsewhere adjacent to his property (in the red zone), breaking sprinkler heads, killing plants and damaging the sidewalk.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2015.  The pylon makes it tricky to exit the passenger side of a car and makes it impossible to use the already narrow sidewalk when cars are parked there.  Considering how fast people drive the street, it is really important to have the sidewalk clear to walk after dark.

UPDATE 9-4-15: The pylon is now being stored on the developer's site. 
 

Corralitas Drive: Is There Any Wonder Why Neighbors Hate Developers?

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, August 15, 2015.   Developer's trucks left a very narrow passageway between heavy equipment, parked cars, and a truck blocking the public staircase, starting at 7AM Saturday for the construction site in front of 2512 - 2614 Corralitas Drive.  (Click on photo to enlarge)

Complaints from neighbors started rolling in to my email box shortly after 7AM Saturday, for the third Saturday in a row.  We thought we had an agreement with the developer so he would notify us so we could move cars from this portion of the street in addition to the first blind curve coming up the hill.  I forwarded this photo to him, after a neighbor sent it to me.  Hours later he responded, claiming no knowledge of the work happening Saturday.

Another neighbor pointed out, little or nothing has been happening on this construction site on weekdays, so why is this happening on weekends on a narrow substandard hillside street with only one means of access?  On Saturday, Building & Safety isn't working so it's not like we have any recourse.

Report violations to LA Dept of Building & Safety

Report parking violations to Dept of Transportation (i.e. Parking Enforcement) (818) 374-4823  

Additional questions, problems with City departments: contact Mary Rodriguez, CD13 Silver Lake Deputy: Mary.D.Rodriguez@lacity.org (213) 207- 3021
  

Corralitas Drive: Peaceful Saturday Morning, Oh, The Joys Of Hillside Living!

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, August 8, 2015.  For the second Saturday morning in a row,  the developer of the lot at the top of the Corralitas Public Staircase has completely disregarded the neighbors by having a very large crane working, trucks parked on the wrong side of the street, Bobcat backhoe parked not only in the red zone on a blind curve, but also on the sidewalk (despite multiple requests by the homeowner not to park on the sidewalk.  

He failed to give the neighbors warning, or even put up signs that they would need the entire portion of the street on a Saturday morning. (Although a neighbors reports they did an excellent job of cleaning the street afterwards.)

We also requested no grading, hauling or deliveries on Saturdays due to the extreme challenges of parking and hillside construction, are much worse on weekends on a substandard hillside street with only one means of limited access.  How hard is it to get large trucks and equipment up Corralitas Drive?  See this post from last month.

Another neighbor commented "There was heavy equip, multiple flatbeds to pick up the heavy equip and every guy was in a big truck."  

We've repeatedly requested they park their unnecessary vehicles at the bottom of the hill. Instead, it's the neighbors who have to haul their groceries up the 6-story public staircase.  The neighbor who sent the photo said, "I ran some errands and  just parked on the bottom and took the steps as there's no way to get up by car at the moment. To top it off, another neighbor's got tons of workers here too."  

You better be fit or not be in a hurry to get up or down the hill.  It's another Joy of Hillside Living.
 

Corralitas & Rosebud Mudwatch: Cleaning Up After Dolores, Rainfall Totals

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 20, 2015. The construction crew working at the site atop the Corralitas Public Staircase spent this morning clearing the mud from the stairs, sidewalk and the intersection of Corralitas & Rosebud.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 19, 2015.  One say earlier, the mud from the site had built up considerably after Tropical Storm Dolores blew through dumping a half inch of rain in 20 minutes Saturday morning; and nearly another half inch over the rest of the weekend.

We're tracking rainfall totals in the Corralitas rain gauge...

July 18, 2015: 0.9"
July 19, 2015: 0.05"
*Season to date: 12.17" 

*Normally, the rain year would have ended June 30.  However, this year California joined the rest of the country, and will report rainfall totals between October 1 to September 30.  Who expected to have significant rain between July 1 and October 1?  There will always be an asterisk next to the 2014-2015 rain year.

Corralitas Public Staircase: Mudtastic!

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 18, 2015.  Tropical Storm Dolores thundered through the neighborhood,  dumped 1/2" of rain in 20 minutes and created a muddy, rocky mess on the Corralitas Public Staircase this morning.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 18, 2015.  Just yesterday, the developer had the stairs swept clear of debris.  Doh!  Plywood along the staircase side of his site might have controlled some of the debris.  Everyday, rocks tunble down while I'm walking the public stairs.  Yes, we requested he put plywood up on this side on more than one occasion, including just last Monday.  (Hey, at least his drill rig didn't slide down the hill!)  We also sent him photos earlier today.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 18, 2015.  Really, who expects rain in July?  Let alone significant rain in July?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 18, 2015.  The flowed out onto Corralitas at Rosebud.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 18, 2015.  Don't even try to take the Corralitas Public Staircase until the mud dries.  The stairs are very slippery almost top to bottom.

*UPDATE Monday, July 20, 2015: Developer cleaned up the public staircase, sidewalk and street this morning. 

Corralitas Drive: Joys Of Hillside Living

Photo: Esteban Gonzalez, July 8, 2015.  This is why the Corralitas Neighborhood Watch tries warn neighbors via email to move their cars in advance of heavy equipment moving up & down the hill for construction sites.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Esteban Gonzalez, July 8, 2015.  It usually takes some work to get around the first curve on Corralitas - even when the cars are cleared from the area.  The developer has been giving us notice of deliveries & parking needs to keep a lane of traffic open at his site at the top of the public staircase.

Photo: Esteban Gonzalez, July 8, 2015.  
Today, there was a mix up on my end and I apologize for not getting word out sooner.  According to Gonzalez, the driver was a real pro and managed not to hit any fences on this corner on the way up the hill on Corralitas Drive.

Corralitas Public Staircase: Native Morning Glories & Stalled Development

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 23, 2015.  Native Morning Glories managed to survive the brush clearance and will bloom all summer long.  Maybe it's because nothing has happened on the construction site for the better part of the last 2 months.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Neighbors are hoping the half-framed retaining wall isn't turning into another chapter in the Legacy of Failed Development. 

Corralitas Drive: Joys Of Hillside Living

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 19, 2015.  Coping with Hillside Construction is particularly difficult in an established neighborhood for both the neighbors & the construction crew.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 19, 2015.  Frankly, when there is only one means of access for the entire hill, crews have to realize they have to work with the neighbors and give them advance notice when they're going to block the street most of the day & have heavy trucks going up & down the hill all day long - especially since there are 2 hairpin turns on the hill.  The lower one is a notorious one for parked cars to be hit & run by big trucks.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 19, 2015.  A neighbor at the top of the hill reported huge trucks were making 18-point turns in the (substandard) cul-de-sac all day long.  The smell of exhaust was heavy in the air when I took the dog for a late afternoon walk yesterday.

Corralitas Drive: The Joys Of Hillside Living

Photo: Kristina Wagner, January 22, 2015.  This week, earth work began for a duplex at 2612-2614 Corralitas Drive.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

After only 3 days of construction, the neighbors are already fed up.  Complaints came in a steady stream to me from neighbors... street blocked; not allowing neighbors to drive up the hill to turn around; failure to control "fugitive dust" in an area where the wind comes up every day around 1:30 PM, carrying the dirt all the way up the street; no water of their own because it's not hooked up yet; workers' trucks parked on the sidewalk completely blocking it, including parking in the red zone on a blind corner; no sidewalk access on the blind corner.  

A couple of the neighbors asked to speak to an on-site supervisor about parking & street access.  Workers ignored their request.

Neighbors began calling Parking Enforcement and Building & Safety.  At least one neighbor has called the contractor with these issues.  According to the neighbor, none of his promises have been kept.

Corralitas Drive is a narrow, winding ,substandard Hillside street.  It is not a through street,  with limited parking.  It's also a No Parking on Red Flag Days street.  Let's hope they hired people who've built in the hills before or this could be one of those projects that takes 5 years to complete.

Corralitas Drive: Coming Soon More Construction Hell

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 19, 2014.  At least they left us access to the communal lemon tree.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Building & Safety issued permits to build a duplex at 2612 - 2614 Corralitas Drive, a substandard, approximately 3900 sq ft lot, cut in 1961. (That's on this side of the Corralitas Public Staircase.)  You're supposed to have a 5000 sq ft lot for a duplex.  No variance was applied for.  No lot tie is indicated with the adjacent lower lot.  Neighbors are extremely concerned about parking on our No Parking on Red Flag Days Hillside Street.  (Inquiries have been made to CD13.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 22, 2014. The lot on the opposite side of the Corralitas Public Staircase was almost completely cleared of trees several weeks ago, including a  spectacular African Pencil Plant, a tremendous, fire resistant, tree-like succulent.  The property was denuded & fenced in, despite no building permits even having been applied for.  And developers wonder why neighbors hate them?  Don't cut down the trees until you're really ready to build.  

So maybe in a couple of years, by the time the first duplex is finished, the second lot will have their permits finalized - if everyone knows what they're doing.  If you haven't built in the hills before - you damn well better hire people who have.  We've chronicled neighborhood stalled development far too often.  It's not something we enjoy living with. 

In the last construction boom on Corralitas Drive, we endured 5 homes under construction at the same time.  Two builders knew what they were doing & completed construction in about 18 months each.  The other 3 homes sat in varying stages of half finished, unsafe, stop & start construction hell for the better part of 5 years.