Sunset Over Loma Vista, Lights Not Quite Out On 2015

*Stuff you missed this year...

Photo: Diane Edwardson, December 11, 2015.  We've still got a backlog of photos from 2015 that we'll continue using.  It's been a busy year.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

*Stuff You Missed This Year is our annual wrap up of interesting photos and things we just didn't have a chance to run, because everything seems to always happen at the same time.

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Sounds Like We'll Be Getting A Sidewalk, No Word If It Will Be ADA Compliant

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  Allesandro Street adjacent to the 2 Freeway, from Oak Glen south to somewhere vaguely around Rosebud* will be getting a sound wall that won't be tall enough to shield the upper floor of that apartment building across the street.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

At last night's Echo Park Improvement Association meeting, CalTrans & Metro officials said they would be completing the side walk on Allesandro for the length of the sound wall.  Of course, there's no word on if it will be wide enough to actually walk on without stepping into the street to get around telephone poles. (CalTrans lost a lawsuit a few years back & they are supposed to include ADA compliant sidewalks in projects like this that are adjacent to City streets.)

There was no real news at the meeting other than the sidewalk.  It sounds like they are about a year behind schedule as they handed out a winter 2013 newsletter.  They are just putting Phase 1A out for bids.  No word on when Phase 1B (sound walls) will begin.  

They say the specs are finished for the sound walls but failed to bring them to the meeting.  *They couldn't tell us exactly where the southern end of the sound wall will be - a question we've been asking for at least 2 years. 

More info: Metro SR2 Freeway Terminus Project

Click here for all our sound wall related posts.

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Nearly 2000' Long Sound Wall On Allesandro StreetThe Pedestrian Point Of View

All photos: Diane Edwardson, 2009, 2013. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

According to a newsletter emailed to people who went to a meeting for the 2 Freeway Terminus Project last summer, CalTrans plans to begin construction on about 2000' of sound walls between Oak Glen & "north of El Moran Way" sometime in winter 2014/2015. 

Despite another year, CalTrans is still short on details about the sound walls.  So here's a walk down Allesandro Street, from Oak Glen to Rosebud (a few hundred feet north of El Moran), along with the questions we think CalTrans needs to answer because we've been asking them since the EIR was open for public review in 2009.  If we have to accept the wall (I opposed it from the beginning), we need a whole lot more in exchange for the loss of our trees.

CalTrans is putting a 10' tall sound wall, close to the fence, between Oak Glen & Loma Vista.  Will they be widening the sidewalk (heck, will they be building a real sidewalk) because there is a bus stop 50' feet south of the intersection? 

Exactly how many trees, including the Brazilian Pepper Trees (with their locations marked on a map) will CalTrans be removing for sound wall construction?

We need to see a plan that show exactly where on the slope the wall will go.  We need to see a landscaping plan for new trees on paper, with trees on both sides of the wall.

The northbound 2 Freeway lanes are about 20' from "the sidewalk."  In earlier meetings, CalTrans said there is no room for mature trees and a sound walls.  This is one of the few flat parts of the parkway, most of it is slope.

The entire length of Allesandro on the freeway side needs a real walkable sidewalk.  It is only asphalt encased in a concrete curb and barely passable by one person, let alone ADA accessible. 

North of Loma Vista, the longest portion of the sound wall (1530'), will move to the top of the slope.  The slope on the 2 Freeway parkway increases in height & becomes steeper & narrower as Allesandro moves closer Riverside Drive.

It would be really helpful if we knew exactly which trees CalTrans will be removing.  We won't see trees this size in our lifetime.  They were planted when the freeway opened in 1962.

The bulk of the trees are Brazilian Pepper Trees which CalTrans would prefer to call a shrub so they don't have to enumerate or replace them.  But those are some 40' tall, shrubby trees.

North of Whitmore, a very long retaining wall is adjacent to "the sidewalk." It varies in height from 6 to 10' tall and is constantly hit by graffiti vandals.

Through this section, the sound wall would sit at the top of the steep slope.  So there would be 2 walls creating a 25-30' edifice on Allesandro.  Ask CalTrans for technical drawings of the walls, with section cuts, with the existing trees marked on the plans, so we can see exactly where wall go.

If we have to accept a the eyesore of sound walls CalTrans needs to widen & give us a real walkable side walk for the entire length of the wall.  Trees are important psychologically & physically for living and walking near the freeway.

At Walcott Way, the steep slope appears to be 20' above the top of the roughly 6' retaining wall. 

Same location as previous photo, you can see the narrow parkway does not allow much room for wall construction & trees.

At El Moran, across from the Artis small lot subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract,  the retaining wall is about 9-10' tall, while the slope only gets steeper.

Rosebud Ave is only a few hundred feet north of El Moran.  Ask CalTrans exactly where the sound wall will end?  Their PR states, "north of El Moran Way."

The View From The Hills.

We've written about sound walls a lot.  Click here for all our sound wall posts

Great Wall of Echo Park: The Eastsider

CalTrans 1-page Fact Sheet
CalTrans Metro Newsletter

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: Planned Sound Walls, The View From The Hills

All photos: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

It's hard to grasp the scale of the 2000 foot long sound walls planned for the 2 Freeway between the northbound lanes and Allesandro on the Echo Park Side.  It's even harder to get photos to illustrate the scale, so here's what we've published before.  Above is the view from the top of 18-Acre Elysian Park Parcel  at the end of Echo Park Ave facing toward Silver Lake.  Whitmore is the street leading down to the freeway.  The yellow line is a portion of the planned sound wall between Oak Glen & "north of El Moran Way."

CalTrans & Metro were genuinely perplexed by the comments from the community that we would be able to see the sound walls from the opposite side of the freeway.  Photo above is from Silver Ridge Ave in Silver Lake.

The sound wall at Oak Glen will be 10' - 12' tall.  It will only dampen the sound for the people who live on the first floor of that apartment building across the street on Allesandro.  If you live upstairs or further up hill, the sound wall will have no effect whatsoever.  Photo above from Fair Oak View Terrace in Silver Lake.

CalTrans is attempting to define the 35-40' tall Brazilian Pepper Trees as shrubs so they don't have to tell us they're cutting them down, nor replace them.  Last summer, they told us they would not be planting trees, nor would they be planting anything on the freeway side of the wall.  So Silver Lake will have a stellar view of the Great Wall of Echo Park's graffiti.  Photo above from Allesandro Way in Silver Lake  looking toward Whitmore.

Links:
CalTrans/Metro PR
Cal Trans 1 Page Fact Sheet 
Great Wall Of Echo Park: The Eastsider  
All our sound wall posts

SR 2 Freeway Terminus Project: CalTrans Still Not Specific On The North End Of The Planned Sound Wall

All Photos: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  CalTrans & Metro sent out an e-newsletter last week to say, among other things, they'll start construction on the 2000' long sound walls north of Oak Glen adjacent to the northbound lanes of the 2 Freeway & Allesandro sometime in winter 2014/2015.  The newsletter was still short on specifics like where exactly the north end of the wall would terminate.  A CalTrans fact sheet states the wall will extend to "north of El Moran Way."  It fails to say how far north of El Moran it will extend.  It's only a few hundred feet north to the Rosebud Ave underpass.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The newsletter also says CalTrans will be preserving trees where possible.  One neighbor called Peter Jones, the CalTrans flak listed in the newsletter, asking questions about the exact number and location of trees to be removed.  CalTrans does not have an answer yet, despite our persistent questioning since 2009.

CalTrans didn't really offer anything new in their newsletter.  No matter where the northern terminus of the sound wall is, the wall will be placed at the top of the slope.  That means, if it were to come all the way to Rosebud, it would create a huge edifice, as the slope between the top of the retaining wall & the top of the slope is a good 15-20'.  Then top that with a 10' sound wall & cut down those trees too.

The Rosebud Ave underpass as seen from the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  The controversial Artis small-lot subdivision is directly across from the section between El Moran & Rosebud.

"The Great Wall Of Echo Park: The Eastsider

Click here for all our sound wall posts.
 

Red Car Property Neighborhood: Great Training For The Big Parade

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2011.  The Loma Vista Public Staircase is known as the "Mother of All Staircases." 

The Big Parade, the 35-mile, 100+ public staircase hike from Downtown to the Hollywood Sign is scheduled for May 31 - June 1, 2014.  The Mt Washington warmup hike is May 30.

Our neighborhood is great training ground as, according to Alex Pudlin, we have 5 of the 10 public staircases with the most steps in Silver Lake.  (He counts either side of Loma Vista in Silver Lake as separate staircases - like once you go all the way up, you're not going to go down the other side?!)  Those 5 public staircases are Earl, Loma Vista West 1 & 2, Oak Glen** & Corralitas.  There are also a bunch of other public staircases* and public walkways that link to the Red Car Property, creating a great urban trail through the neighborhood.

Read about Pudlin's charts: The Eastsider
Take a Hike: The Big Parade

*Pudlin understandably misidentifies a couple of our public staircases: India is actually Roselin & Silver Ridge is in fact Silver Lake Ave.  
**I suspect the Oak Glen Stairs are actually the Edendale Place Public Staircase accessed via Fair Oak View Terrace. You'll just have to go for a hike and find out.  But nonetheless - he created a great chart of Silver Lake's public staircases. 

Allesandro Way: Wisteria Lane?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 30, 2013.  The Wisteria has climbed to the top of the 75' pine tree on Allesandro Way between Earl & Loma Vista.  If you look closely, you'll also see explosions of magenta, where the Bougainvillea has also climbed high into the pine tree.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, March 30, 2013.  Wisteria is non-native.  It takes decades to reach anywhere near this size so it is indeed spectacular cultivated plant from someone's garden.  In person, you'll notice it vines into other trees and bushes, but seems happiest in the big pine tree.  The bloom won't last much longer, catch it while you can!

Allesandro Way: Future Sound Walls, The "East Berlin/Escape From New York Aesthetic"

Photo September 2012. Artist's rendering of a 12-16' tall sound wall on Allesandro Way, looking north from Oak Glen, on the Silver Lake side of the 2 Freeway. CalTrans has increased the height of the wall, originally planned at a height of 8-10' in the 2009 EIR. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 

After the recent community meeting on plans for the redesign of the 2 Freeway Terminus, many neighbors on the Silver Lake side of the 2 Freeway were outraged enough to take action. One neighbor created this before/after set of photos of Allesandro Way to help neighbors understand what they would lose if the sound walls are imposed on us.  Others are circulating petitions.

Photo: September 2012.  Say good-bye to all those trees on Allesandro Way if the sound walls are constructed. 

 

Neighbors who are closest to and at eye level with the 2 Freeway do have legitimate need for sound walls. However, giving us walls in exchange for trees is not a good solution for the neighborhood as a whole. The problem stems from there not being enough room for both trees and sound walls (according to CalTrans and the MTA). 

 

Benkin Jong. current MTA project manager for the SR2 Freeway Terminus Redesign Project, made it clear to neighbors (both individually and publicly at the meeting) that the only people who's opinion mattered, were those who live right next to the 2 Freeway. 

 

The hundreds of homes lining the hillsides of either side of the 2 Freeway have no say on giant walls that will affect not only their property values but also their physical and psychological health. 

 

Another neighbor (who's been here for more than 10 years) writes, sound walls will be an "extremely horrible visual addition to the neighborhood. While searching for properties in different parts of the city, it was these very walls that kept us from purchasing near them. They give neighborhoods an East Berlin/Escape from New York aesthetic that is cold and claustrophobic. Walling off one neighborhood from another just seems like a horrible solution to any problem. The tagging of these walls is a given, just take a look at the green gate around the Semi Tropic construction along with all the other "walls" in the area.

 

Many of the trees that are very close to the freeway will have to be removed to put walls in. I sign on to the plan of planting more trees, more foliage to help disperse sound and help air quality in the immediate area. That is an actual solution that does not carry with it all the other negatives that walls do."

 

Neighbors are going door to door on Allesandro Way and Cove, gathering signatures urging the sound walls be dropped from the 2 Terminus plan.

 

Worth noting: the Catholic Church at the Terminus & Glendale Blvd managed to get the sound walls removed from the plan for the section in front of their school and church because of the prison-like effect sound walls would impose. 

 

Click here for a reverse angle shot from the Oak Glen overpass of the same grove of trees.  

 

Click here for all our 2 Freeway Terminus posts.  

 

Related: The Role of Vegetation in Mitigating Air Quality Impacts from Traffic Emissions, EPA

 

2 Freeway Terminus Redesign: Meeting Wednesday

Photo: Futterer, Holyland Exhibition, 1962.  Without trees, you can see how narrow the slope is between the 2 Freeway and adjacent streets, like Allesandro Way (right) and Allesandro St* (left).  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

 

CalTrans plans to cut down all the trees that have made the 2 Freeway more tolerable between the Terminus (at Glendale Blvd) and about Rosebud Ave.  What will we get in exchange?  More than a quarter mile of sound walls on either side of the freeway through our neighborhood. 

 

The effects of sound walls were never studied in the EIR for the Terminus Project.  We discovered sound walls hidden on the maps for every option.  The EIR never discussed their impact on our Hillside neighborhood.  Sound will likely be amplified for homes higher on the hills since the sound will bounce around in the "canyon effect."  

 

CalTrans will not be planting trees around the walls. The EIR failed to enumerate how many trees would be cut down.  When questioned in a public hearing about this fact, CalTrans & MTA officials admitted all the trees and shrubs would be cut down, but could not provide a number (which is required), nor could they say where they would be planting replacement trees, other than not around the sound walls.

 

Expect an increase in health effects from a decrease in air quality.   Considering we just lost nearly 4 acres of trees on the nearby Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, we can't afford to lose any trees in the neighborhood now. 

MTA is hosting a community meeting next week regarding the 2 Terminus Redesign:

Community Open House

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

6 - 8 pm

Mayberry Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room

2414 Mayberry Street

Los Angeles, CA 90026

info: metro.net/sr2

 

 

We've written extensively about the 2 Freeway Terminus Redesign.  Click here for all our related posts.

 

*Allesandro Street is misidentified in many of our older photos as "Allesandro Ave."  I discovered in my paper files from the 1990s and even earlier, letters from various City departments identifying it as "Allesandro Ave."  So I always thought it was "Ave" not "St."  It was even "Ave" on a street sign at the corner of Rosebud & Allesandro.  That street sign was replaced about 10 years ago.  Allesandro Street, or as identified in the above photo as "Ave," should not be confused with Allesandro Way - on the Silver Lake side of the 2 Freeway.  We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. 

Allesandro Way & Oak Glen: Murder Victim Identified

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 1, 2009.  Allesandro Way north of Oak Glen. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Police identified the murder victim found Tuesday night on Allesandro Way near Oak Glen, as Julio Alvarado, age 28.  LAPD is looking for leads.  Read more: The Eastsider

The Big Parade: 100 Public Staircases, 2 Days, May 19 & 20, 2012

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 14, 2011.  The Loma Vista Public Staircase in Silver Lake is featured on Day 2 of the Big Parade 2012.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The Big Parade is a 2-day, 100+ public staircase hike from Angel's Flight, Downtown, to the Hollywood Sign.  It's a great way to explore parts of the city most people don't even know exist.  It's free, fun and broken into manageable loops so you can join for a couple of hours or both days.  The Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract is in Day 1.  The Red Car Property neighborhood is in Day 2. 

This year, there's an LA River walk; Echo Park Art Walk overlap; free screening of Laurel & Hardy film,The Music Box, on the Music Box Steps; music; speakers and more. 

All the information you need, including what to bring, wear, route maps, timetables and highlights: http://bigparadela.com/ 

Click here for all our Big Parade related posts, including historic before/after photos of the neighborhood.  

Loma Vista Public Staircase: Documented

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 14, 2011.  Too intimidated to tackle the longest public staircase in Los Angeles? See what you're missing on The Eastsider.  

Allesandro Way: Band Van Stolen Last Week

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 22, 2011.  Allesandro Way between Oak Glen and Lake View Ave is bordered by the 2 Freeway.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

Last Thursday night, a van full of a band's equipment was stolen from Allesandro Way near Loma Vista Public Staircase.  Read about it on The Eastsider. 

Last week saw an uptick in vehicle related crime on Red Car Neighborhood streets.  See LAPD's Crime Mapping for more information.

Allesandro & Loma Vista: Lost Dog

$ REWARD - LOST 8 MONTH OLD DOG: Bernice is a sweet, shy border collie/ terrier mix, recently rescued, and new to the Silverlake area (Allesandro at Loma Vista). She was last seen at 11 am on May 26th in front of the Woof Dog Boutique on Glendale Blvd in Atwater Village. She was headed north towards Glendale. She will likely not come to you, but if you see her, please call Amanda 24/7 at 323.459.0840 or email to hughesab42@gmail.com. She is wearing a bright yellow collar with pictures of snoopy; she is not yet microchipped but was just spayed and has visible stitches. Please keep your eyes open for her! Thanks! 

Editor's note: This morning, I saw a post on The Eastsider for a found puppy that looked a lot like Bernice.  Since I'd seen the above poster all over the Red Car Neighborhood, I contacted Amanda.  Sadly, it was not Bernice.  Copy from the lost dog poster is reprinted with Amanda's permission. 

Red Car Neighborhood: The Big Parade 2011

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 22, 2011. Approximately 75 people in The Big Parade hiked up and over the Loma Vista Public Staircase and gathered in front of the Holyland Exhibition at the corner of Allesandro Way & Lake View Ave.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Hikers learned about the history of the 2 Freeway (behind the trees, above left), the politics behind the 2 Freeway Terminus Redesign and the Holyland Exhibition (good neighbors since 1924). 

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 22, 2011.  The Big Parade continued down Corralitas Walk, an unmarked, but City-named, public sidewalk, with a steep slope to the left, and the 2 Freeway on the right.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

This week, we're looking at The Big Parade's trek through the Corralitas Red Car Neighborhood.

Loma Vista Public Staircase

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 14, 2011.  Loma Vista Public Staircase is possibly the longest staircase in Silver Lake.  It actually goes up and down both sides of the hill between Allesando Way and Glendale Blvd.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

We're looking at the Red Car Property Neighborhood's public staircases leading up to The Big Parade on May 21 & 22, 2011. The Big Parade is a FREE 2 day, 35 mile, 100+ public staircase hike from Downtown Los Angeles to the Hollywood Sign. Join The Big Parade for a few staircases, miles or both days. Info: www.bigparadela.com.

Loma Vista Public Staircase: Big Parade Starts Tomorrow

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 4, 2010. Loma Vista Public Staircase at Allesandro Way is marked by (possibly native) purple Nightshade. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Loma Vista is probably the longest public staircase in the neighborhood. It goes up and over the entire hillside from Allesandro Way to Glendale Blvd. Silver Lake resident and writer, Charles Flemming features Loma Vista and the Red Car Property in an Edendale primer in Los Angeles Magazine.

We're celebrating our neighborhood's public staircases in anticipation of this weekend's Big Parade II. The 2-day, 100+ public staircase hike starts at Angel's Flight and ends at the Hollywood Sign. For route, approximate timetables and more: www.bigparadela.com.

How Do You Know There's A Public Staircase Nearby?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 4, 2010. Could it be the 27 trashcans lined up on Allesandro Way at Loma Vista Public Staircase? (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Living on a public staircase might seem quaint, but you better not make a lot of trash. It could be a very long hike to the trashcan.

We're taking a closer look at our neighborhood's public staircases in anticipation of The Big Parade II, June 12 & 13, 2010. For route, approximate timetables and more: www.bigparadela.com.