Red Car Property, Lot C: Choking On Dirt From Riverside Drive Construction

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 21, 2017.  Dump trucks hauled loads of dirt to and from the Riverside Drive construction site using the dirt roadway of Red Car Property north of India Street today.  The fugitive dust is out of control.  A neighbor reports at least six truck trips before 11 AM today.  They are not supposed to be using the Red Car Property for access, hauling or storing of equipment.  They've been doing all three.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, December 21, 2017. They are not keeping the dirt roadway sufficiently dampened to control fugitive dust.  In fact, they are not wetting the dirt road at all. They are not covering the truck loads of dirt, nor did they give notice to neighbors for hauling activity.  All of these things are boilerplate requirements by Building & Safety under the Los Angeles Municipal Code.  But then so is having a phone number posted on the construction fence.  It's not posted up here where people live.

Photo: December 21, 2017.  The motorhome (on the other side of the dump truck) has been parked behind the locked fence across the Red Car Property since October.  

The developer has an agreement with the Red Car Property owner to fence off a portion of the Red Car Property during construction of Riverside Drive lots.  The Riverside Drive development supposedly does not include the Red Car Property.

Since the motorhome arrived in October, neighbors report increased vehicle traffic at all hours, to and from the construction site.  The guy who lives in the motorhome uses a car to drive to and from his motorhome, as do his friends.  

According to neighbors, since the motorhome arrived, there's also been an increase of suspicious activity and dumping, north from India Street, on the Red Car Property.  There are also people living in sheds on a historically problematic, Red Car Property adjacent, Riverside Drive property.  

Motorhome usually parked on Allesandro, now behind locked gate above Riverside Dr construction site on Red Car Property @MitchOFarrell pic.twitter.com/HW9uMdLxiV

— Corralitas (@RedCarProperty) October 15, 2017

The Red Car Property is a lawless place.

Corralitas Red Car Property: 49 Unit Zone Change Applied For. Here We Go Again

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 11, 2016.  Thursday, The Eastsider broke the news, an application for a zone change and tract map to allow for 49 condo units on the south end of the Red Car Property was filed with City Planning.  The property includes considerable slope that burned in the Silver Lake Fire, June 19, 2016. (Yes, that Eucalyptus Tree burned and is now a fire hazard on the Red Car Property.) (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The City Planning process for a zone change is a public process allowing for public review of the file and a public hearing, where neighbors have the right and responsibility to voice their opinions. 

The current property owner bought the Red Car Property in 2001.  They never got to the public hearing stage with a 2003 development proposal for 75 homes.  In the 2003 proposal, the "open space lot" was an unusable slope that would have been behind a 25' tall retaining wall.

In 1995, the neighbors won against a similar zone change proposal, when the planning commission agreed with then CD13 City Councilmember Jackie Goldberg, who spoke on behalf of the community, and denied the zone change.

The development history of the Red Car Property is long and sad when it comes to missed opportunities for park acquisition.   The exclusive option the Trust for Public Land held for 2 years on the Red Car Property was not renewed earlier this year.  Despite promises of funding from City, County and State sources, it would not be enough to acquire the property.  Public funding options for areas like ours are tricky due to the recent run up in real estate prices.  

When you look at the history of the Red Car Property, know that history repeats itself and opportunities change. One thing that does not change is the resolve of this neighborhood to fight for open space and against dense development.  Don't ever underestimate Red Car Property Neighbors. 

Read more:
The Eastsider
Red Car Property Development History
Legacy of Failed Development
2012: Why is the City doing such a good job of brush clearance when the private property is for sale? 

Editor's note: I apologize for the late post regarding the zone change application.  It is not a crisis, nor is there an immediate deadline.  The Eastsider's news did make the rounds of neighborhood email lists.  For breaking news, follow us on Twitter: @RedCarProperty  

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 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: Contractor Cleaning Street

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, January 24, 2015.  The drilling rig was picked up after being parked on the lower part of Corralitas overnight.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Vlahakis said the workers at the  2612 - 2614 Corralitas construction site, have "So far they've been diligent about cleaning up after themselves."  He notes the worker who picked up the drilling rig Saturday morning was sweeping the street (see above photo).

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, January 24, 2015.  Vlahakis said the crew has plywood stacked behind every fourth vehicle was used as a cushion every time the drilling rig rolled on the street.  (It's a good thing too, since the City repaved the street less than a year ago.)

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, January 24, 2015.  There was a lot of dirt in the street at the site while they were working, the dirt was swept up by Saturday morning.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, January 24, 2015.  According to another neighbor, Thursday night, the rig had been parked up at the site, blocking a large portion of the road (in addition to being parked the wrong side of the street.)  

They only drilled near the top of the site.  We're wondering if they will return with a more compact rig for the rest of the work.  

Our narrow, curvy street was first paved in the late 1920s. It was not designed for heavy equipment, nor the number of cars that park here normally.  Then there's added burden of a construction crew's personal trucks.

Construction in existing Hillside neighborhoods is a pain in the ass.  Everyone needs to work together to lessen the impact on all of us. 

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.  

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: The Big Parade Will Walk Through Today

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2011. It doesn't look like this anymore. (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

The Big Parade will walk through what was once one of the most beautiful hillsides of Elysian Heights.  It's hard to believe it was only 2011 when it still lived up to its name, "Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract."  Now it's more like "Orange County Office Park."

The preeminent 20th Century wood-cut print artist, Paul Landacre was inspired by the beauty of the landscape of the hillside, creating art in his 40 years of living and working on his (now neglected historic cultural landmark cabin & grounds on the hill.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  What was once 4 acres of mostly native trees below Landacre's modest home, a natural habitat for wildlife, is now a sterile, controversial, eyeball searingly bright white series of stucco boxes on an unnaturally graded slope.  

The developer did see the light of day when potential buyers said what do you mean there's an acre of open space that we pay to maintain above our house and we can't walk to it?  So as an afterthought, they built a publicly accessible staircase that is extremely steep out of railroad ties.

The Big Parade, the ultimate urban hike, will walk down the Artis quasi-public staircase today.  Follow their progress on Twitter.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: 2009-2013, Not So Spiritual Anymore

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 17, 2009.  In 2009, neighbors lost their final appeal against the controversial 16-lot subdivision of the former "garden lots" in the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  The nearly 4-acre parcel was an urban forest which was originally designed as open space in the 1905 subdivision.   (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Alissa Walker, May 19, 2012.  Planet Home Living & VanDaele Homes graded the hell out of the slope after cutting down almost all of the trees on the entire parcel in 2012.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  The Orange County office park aesthetic will soon be taking over Silver Lake & Echo Park as the same developers have quite a few projects in the works in our area. 

Can't wait 'till CalTrans cuts down the trees & builds sound walls on Allesandro Street to really enhance the neighborhood. 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Paul Landacre Cabin & Grounds, Historic Landmark*

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 

In 2005, the City declared Paul Landacre's Cabin and grounds, at 2006 El Moran, a Cultural Historic Landmark. Landacre's work was influenced by and often depicted the neighborhood in his work.

 

Paul Landacre wrote about his life in the Echo Park hills in 1958, not so different from those who live in the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract today:

"You see, art is practiced here along with various other concerns -
pruning trees, repairing the roof, watching and feeding wildlife and so
on. Of course, other artists live on wooded hillsides, too, and so do
other people, and it must be conceded that to some of us this kind of
environment is not only valuable, but absolutely necessary - a degree of
seclusion, the life of growing things, awareness that we are a part of
nature."

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.

 

Landacre carved a petrel, his signature bird into the roof vents on each side of his house. He used the petrel as his trademark on his work, often in place of his signature.

Landacre struggled with physical disabilities most of his life. He identified with the petrel since they learn to fly by jumping off a cliff; falling into the raging sea; hurling themselves off the peaks of waves until they learn to fly. They crash into the rocks and waves, beat up, but they learn to fly.

*This post was originally published November 7, 2007, on our short-lived sister blog, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  In an effort to connect neighbors across the 2 Freeway in our shared issues & development battles, we folded the Semi Tropic blog into the Corralitas Red Car Property Blog in 2009.

Semi Tropic Hell: Ficus Tree, Why Bother?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  You may remember last week's almost total take down of the giant ficus tree at the "corner" of El Moran & Alvarado, one of the few remaining shade trees on the developer's controversial subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  Now the tree branch seems precariously balanced to eventually break & fall into the power lines leading up to the top of the exceptionally steep hill. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.   If it does spark a fire, let's hope the LAFD can find the fire hydrant under all the debris that's eroded down the hillside, a few dozen fee from the ficus tree.  It looks like the LAFD hasn't tested this hydrant in years.  Maybe they can't find it.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  But then, Orange County developers aren't exactly known for their urban forest values.  

Semi Tropic Hell: Living Up To Its Name

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 5, 2013, 3:50 PM.  The heat island effect surrounding the Artis development just grew more intense this weekend, with the taking down of 90% of a 60' tall, non-native Ficus tree at the "corner" of El Moran & Alvarado.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

This was one of about 5 large trees remaining of the nearly 4-acre hillside urban forest, clear cut by the developer in 2012 to make way for the controversial 16-lot subdivision (15 single family homes; 1 "open space" lot). 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 5, 2013, 3:51 PM.  The 10% tree that remains is balancing precariously against the power lines leading to the top of the hill.  It seemed a bit dangerous and there was no DWP or Fire truck standing by in a Red Flag Warning day. No work occurred on Sunday.

It's incredibly hot on this slope since we lost the nearly 4 acres of trees here, next to the 2 & 5 Freeway heat islands.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 22, 2013.  It looks like the tree had been the victim of some bad tree trimming on the El Moran Street side.  But that's no reason to take down the entire tree.  Now it's so dangerous they have to take it down. 

The developer's tree report submitted to the Board of Public Works in 2011, as a part of the permit process for removing the protected native trees, identified this tree as a "high quality tree" (but somehow only stated it to be 24" diameter trunk - clearly it is much more looking at the first photo).  But in the big scheme of things - non native, non-protected trees don't count.  Since they are still under construction, they may only have to replace this tree with a tree that won't reach this size in our lifetime.

Most people moved to Silver Lake, Echo Park, Elysian Heights because they didn't want live in cookie cutter homes without trees.  Large trees add value to property, provide shade & reduce cooling costs.   

Note: "Semi Tropic Hell" is my file name for Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract development battles, which date back to the late 1970s.  The Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract was cut in 1905.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: 2 Years Later, Not So Spiritual Anymore

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 28, 2011.  The Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract's former almost-4-acre garden lots lived up to their tract's name with a thriving urban forest. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 28, 2012.  The neighborhood endured 9 months of grading on the denuded slopes. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 29, 2013.  The controversial development of 15 stucco boxes will soon be completed.  It will take another 50 years for the trees to reach become an urban forest again, if they grow on the compacted slopes.  

Allesandro Street between Rosebud & El Moran is a heat island now.  The developer chose to plant no trees in the parkway between the street and the sidewalk, despite neighbors asking for trees there from the beginning of the discretionary approval process for the subdivision.  There are trees appropriate for planting beneath power lines. 

There are, however, additional concrete light poles now, so we have additional clutter, but no trees.  They couldn't just put a few more arms on the existing wood power poles? 

Note: The mature trees remaining on the hill above the new homes are NOT on the 4-acre development site.  Only 5 mature tree remained in the plans after deforestation, most of those; Eucalyptus. 

Taylor Yard: Dust Storm Again

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 26, 2013, 10:49 AM.*  This morning, Santa Ana winds kicked up an Arizona-style dust storm from the housing development going up on Taylor Yard.  Once again, we hope they did the soil remediation right on the former Superfund site.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 26, 2013, 9:56 AM.  Although the photos don't appear as bad as it was in reality, the cloud of dust was thick and spread over Elysian Valley and Cypress Park. I called City Councilmember Gil Cedillo's staff & sent a photo saying they needed to shut down grading operations immediately according to the city standard conditions of approval for grading & earth moving during high winds. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 26, 2013, 9:54 AM.  The cloud of dust stretched from development all the way to the Metrolink building near the Confluence, at the south end of the rail yard.  (Again, the dust did not read well in the photos, but at least 3 neighbors witnessed it with me.)  At one point, the wind shifted & the dirt drifted over Sotomayor High School, north of the development site, & even reached my house.  There are 9 schools within a one mile radius of the site.

I talked to Jose Rodriguez from Councilmember Cedillo's staff who contacted the developer regarding the dust storm.  The developer said he would get water trucks out there.  An hour later the dust storm was getting worse (top photo) when Conrado Terrazas (also from Cedillo's staff) called to follow up with me.  I said, "Let's put it this way, I can't see parts of Cypress Park right now."  While discussing what I'd seen over the past few days, I also noted the water truck had finally shown up.   Within an hour they got the dust under control.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 24, 2013, 9:23 AM.  Two days ago, several neighbors & I noticed a construction vehicle that kept driving at high speeds up & down the length of the yard kicking up plumes of dirt as high at 60' in the air (taller than the newly constructed buildings & dwarfing the Metrolink trains).  They don't seem to be controlling the dust on the ingress/egress to San Fernando very well either, as evidenced by this photo. 

Thanks to City Councilmember Cedillo's staff for immediately responding to this important health issue for the community.  However, it brings up questions as to how unhealthy is this dirt to breathe?  Taylor Yard was a majorly toxic Superfund site.  Should schools be notified to keep children inside during these events?  This is not the first time this has happened with this development.  This developer should be held accountable. 

*Note: Top photo pixilated strangely, it was shot with my phone.

Silver Lake Neighborhood Council: City Council Candidate Forum, Monday, January 28, 2013

Photo: Alissa Walker, May 19, 2012.  Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract was the wake up call of the decade for hillside residents who thought the impossibly steep and park-like urban forest would never get developed.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

 

With 12 men vying to replace the termed out (& mayoral candidate) Eric Garcetti in CD13, don't expect a lot of in-depth discussion about hillside development.

 

Silver Lake Neighborhood Council

CD13 Candidate Forum

 

Monday, January 28, 2013

5:45 - 9 PM

 

Holy Virgin Mary Church

650 Micheltorena

Silver Lake 90026



Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Stuff You Missed Last Year Because We're Trying Not To Look Across The 2 Freeway

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 24, 2012.  Some neighbors are reminded every day how great the loss of 4 acres of urban forest and a complete regrading of the slope in the controversial Semi Tropical Spiritualists' Tract 16-lot subdivision has been for the neighborhood.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

 

Gee, once Cal Trans cuts down the trees on the opposite side of the 2 Freeway and builds sound walls, it will certainly improve the neighborhood!

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Joys Of Hillside Living

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 20, 2012, 10:13 AM.  And developers wonder why neighbors in Hillside neighborhoods get nit-picky about haul routes and construction vehicles blocking Hillside streets - especially when there's only one means of access for the entire hill.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

 

Last week, DWP informed neighbors that they would be digging up the street at Rosebud Ave & Allesandro St (above) to lay water lines for the controversial 16-lot subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. 

 

As I turned left onto Allesandro from Rosebud, a LAPD cruiser stopped in the middle of Allesandro.  The officers seemed equally amazed by the City crew blocking the only means of access for the entire hillside above.  When I returned 10 minutes later, the crew had repositioned the vehicles allowing access to and from the hill and continued working.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: It Might Look As Good As The Menlo Property in About 10 Years

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 1, 2012.  The 4-acre parcel in the controversial Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract 16-lot subdivision will never be the urban forest it was in our lifetimes.  As seen from Corralitas Drive.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

 

Click here for what we can look forward to (with the landscaping) in about 10 years.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Orange County Developers Unclear On Painting Out Graffiti

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 25, 2012.  I finally got around to shooting a photo while waiting at the stop sign on Rosebud at Allesandro, to show just how lame the developers' painting out of graffiti on their green dust screening has been - from the beginning.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

 

Rather than paint it out on in a block, they've been applying green paint as if it were precious material not to be wasted.  Neighbors have been mocking it from the first paint-out in early spring.  They literally just paint directly over the words matching the original tagging, you can still see the tag. 

 

I guess they don't have a lot of experience painting out graffiti in Orange County.  (The developer, Planet Home Living, based in Orange County, is attempting to build other sites in Echo Park.)  Thanks for improving the neighborhood. 

 

Emails from neighbors to CD13 (from the beginning) regarding the way the graffiti has been handled, have gone unanswered.