Meeting Date: 07/22/04 07:00 PM

Meeting Type: Regular

Location: The Mulholland Tennis Club is at 2555 Crestview Drive. Directions and a map area
available at the club’s website, which is at www.mtc.org.

Details: Mulholland Tennis Club, 2555 Crest View Drive
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Thursday, July 22, 2004

AGENDA for the meeting of the Briar Summit/Mulholland/Torreyson, Woodrow Wilson and Willow Glen Communities

1. SIGN-IN, WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

2. Review and approve minutes of prior meeting (vote)

3. Report on Bulwer Drive houses and road design project; review road plans and possible further construction on Bulwer hillside (Discussion and possible votes) –

4 Report on and discuss new house under construction at 8057 Willow Glen

5 Report on and discuss proposed demolition and renovation at 2501 Zorada Drive

6 Report and discuss other local developments.

7 Update report and discussion on the Laurel/Mulholland intersection construction project, including additional landscaping proposals.

8 Discuss area 9’s priorities for area 9 and the neighborhood council in the upcoming year.

9 Public comment and any business for the next meeting’s agenda.

10. PLAN AND SET NEXT MEETING TIME/PLACE

11 ADJOURN

Thursday, July 22, 2004
Meeting of Area 9 Committee
Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council
Meeting Minutes

– Meeting began at approximately 7:15 pm
– Attendees present at the meeting included: Renee Weitzer and Jonathan Brand representing Councilman LaBonge’s office; Don Duckworth, of Duckworth Consulting who is the managing director of Bulwer Drive LLC; Dr. Mel Remba, the chair of the Citizens Oversight Committee for Open Spaces Benefit Assessment District 1; Ken Jones, the newly elected area 8 committee’s chair; Danielle Docka, a Phd. student from the University of Minnesota working for the American Mosaic Project; Joan Luchs, a board member on the Mulholland Design Review Board and the Citizens Oversight Committee; Alan Kishbaugh, a board member on the Mulholland Design Review Board and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy; Gail Natzler; Jesse Dylan & Susan Traylor Dylan; Ron Camhi, Esq.; Sylvia Mogel, Lucy Wanda Perna and Joe Perna; Joe Leonard; Tim Braseth; Mimi Starrett; Perla Eston and Fred Fudacz; Bob and Gillian Nettman; Verna Cornelius; Bobbi Stoll; Hilary DeVries and Michael Walker; and Orrin Feldman, the area 9 committee chair.
– The Minutes of the prior meeting were approved.

Following is a summary of the discussion that occurred regarding the agenda items:
Item #3:
– Orrin Feldman began with a review of the most recent information related to the Bulwer Drive houses and road design projects while the group waited for the arrival of Don Duckworth, who was to provide an update on the project and answer questions in light of the cement trucks that started appearing on Bulwer Drive last week.

– There are plans for a 20 foot road only in front of the two Bulwer houses and the adjacent lot where the third house was arsoned and burned down in 1991, and there are no provisions for widening the additional 500 foot plus front end of Bulwer Drive to reach Woodstock Road or to provide for two-way traffic or for a turnaround for cars or other vehicles, such as fire or sanitation trucks..

– The permit for constructing any house on the burned-down house has expired. Any new house construction on that lot would require the full review process, including review by the Mulholland Design Review Board (MDRB).
– Copies of the engineering drawings for the part of Bulwer Drive in front of the two existing houses and the adjacent lot where the house burned down were passed around and discussed.
– Don Duckworth arrived and provided the following information to the group:
– The Managing Partner of Bulwer LLC is Bill Preston.
– The road plans just cover the two houses and the burned out lot area. They are not required to widen the road down to Woodstock Road based on their current plans and permits. They have no permits for any other houses on Bulwer hillside that Don is aware of, and Don said he knew of no recent land transfers or acquisitions of additional lots on the Bulwer hillside.
– The Dylans and Ron Camhi, the Dylans’ attorney, asked Duckworth why no geological analyses or reports have been shared with the Dylan’s as Duckworth had promised to do so long ago.
– Duckworth indicated that, one week ago, the city’s Building and Safety Department had granted the ‘B’ permit to Bulwer Drive LLC to construct the Bulwer Drive road in front of the two Bulwer houses and the burned down house’s lot.
– Joan Luchs requested that Duckworth bring a geologist to a community meeting so all adjacent property owners can have their questions and concerns discussed. She also asked if Bulwer Drive, LLC would be willing to have this meeting before they moved forward with construction. Duckworth said they would not.
– Duckworth indicated that he has been advised that he is only working on public property and is not trespassing or infringing on any homeowners property – his understanding is that the road way is all being constructed in the city’s public right of way. He also indicated that the area 9 committee should have invited the City Attorney’s office to have a representative at this meeting to answer these types of questions. He also mentioned that Bulwer Drive LLC would be paving the remaining portion of Bulwer Drive from the burned down house’s lot to Woodstock Road with asphalt, and expected that Bulwer Drive LLC would be required to widen that portion of Bulwer Drive if and when Bulwer Drive LLC applied for permits to build a third or fourth house.
– Ron Camhi, as the Dylans’ attorney, requested a meeting with the Bulwer LLC attorney(s)- and Duckworth provided him with Bulwer Drive LLC’s attorney contact information.
– Joan provided the name of a geo-technical professional, Frank Dennison, which the interested parties could contact for assistance.
– Orrin asked Duckworth to be more forthcoming with the adjacent home owners and the community now with geological information and Bulwer Drive LLC’s plans for additional home construction, especially because the application for a permit to a construct a fourth house would seem to make the situation akin to the Yehuda Arviv houses on the Woodstock Road extension. Orrin explained that, in that situation, the South Valley Planning Commission several years ago required Yehuda Arviv, the developer, to produce an environmental impact report after applying for several home construction permits, and the Commission’s decision was affirmed by the California Superior Court and the Appellate Division. Renee Weitzer, who is Councilman LaBonge’s Planning Deputy, added that there may be an environmental impact report requirement triggered if and when Bulwer Drive LLC seeks to construct a fourth house.

Item #4: 8057 Willow Glen continues to be constructed, and it continues to be an ongoing open case at the MDRB. It will be three stories but modifications in that design have been requested by the MDRB. Orrin requested more community concern, oversight and involvement at future meetings from the Willow Glen neighbors.

Item #5: 2501 Zorada Drive’s proposed demolition of the existing house of approximately 3,600 square feet, and its replacement with an approximately 7,200 square foot new house was declined by the MDRB. If it were to be appealed, the owners would be appealing to the South Valley Area Planning Commission, who would then do a new full review with input from the Planning Department, the MDRB recommendations and holding a new public hearing on any appeal.

Item #6: Other local developments:
– Mel Remba reported on a development on the upper slope of Mt. Olympus which is adjacent to our community. There were recent lot line adjustments and possible lot splits on Vulcan Drive lots running from Willow Glen up to Vulcan – numbers 7919 Vulcan and 7850 Willow Glen. The Mt. Olympus homes’ deeds, covenants and restrictions (the ‘CC&R’s’) may prevent houses from being built on these two lots on Willow Glen, and the Mt. Olympus Property Owners Association (‘MOPOA’) will continue to look into this matter. Mel and MOPOA will coordinate their review of these developments with Renee Weitzer and Jonathan Brand.
– The 8056 Mulholland proposal for a height exemption under the Mulholland Specific Plan’s rules was continued at the South Valley Planning Commission. The next scheduled review for that proposal will be at the Commission’s meeting on 8/26. The Planning Department’s hearing officer’s report has recommended that the Commission decline to approve the proposal.

Item #7: Laurel/Mulholland intersection:
– There is no new information with regard to the timetable/schedule for implementing a left handed turning signal or any other traffic improvements. Regarding the landscaping proposals for the southeast corner of the intersection, Orrin reported that the City would prefer us to submit and get approval for any landscaping or other beautification plans for that site, rather than have any group of local citizens do a self-help project which the City hasn’t reviewed and approved in advance. Councilman LaBonge has a landscape/beautification advisor who recommends no benches or the like should be included due to the possibility of encouraging graffiti and garbage. Anyone with an artistic vision is encouraged to volunteer to help. Mel Remba, Joe Perna, Wendy Dytman and Orrin Feldman volunteered for this project.
– The idea of signage was asked about and discussed. Joan Luchs and Alan Kishbaugh recommended that any plans come as a ‘preview’ to get the input of the MDRB. Since the intersection is the culmination of three or four areas, and is part of the Mulholland Corridor too, there was a consensus that any signage will get complicated, but that it would be useful to consider this project as a gateway to the Mulholland Corridor just as much as a gateway to the Hollywood Hills.

Item #8: Discussing the upcoming year’s priorities was tabled for discussion at the next area 9 committee meeting.

Item#9: Alan Kishbaugh asked that DWP be contacted to find out why the DWP facility on Woodrow Wilson pumps water periodically on to Woodrow Wilson, which in turn flows down Laurel Canyon. Alan and Orrin agreed to work on that together, and to report back at the next area 9 committee meeting.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00pm. The time and place of the next meeting are to be determined by the committee chair.