A developer wants to build four mansions on the active Tramonto Landslide. There is no street access to the site. One can see the remains of homes that slide in 1958, destroying streets.
There would be NO fire truck access and NO evacuation route for residents if the project were built. NO problem according to the City.
Why would the City even consider this proposed project of four new 10,000 to 17,000 square feet mansions to be built on an active landslide, especially after the Palisades Fire? Money. The City is broke.
Residents who live in Castellammare and depend on Los Liones Drive and Tramonto for access are asking people to attend a 2 p.m. PLUM (Planning and Land Use) Committee hearing, Tuesday, May 27.
Residents are not opposed to building in Castellammare but oppose this project because the developer will not remediate the landslide, which destroyed homes and the streets they were on, Castellammare, Posetano and Revello in 1958. Development could impact surrounding lots, if the landslide is not fixed first.
More importantly, the developer will not have to comply with a section of the Los Angeles municipal fire code that requires a minimum 20-foot-wide roadway in and out of the project area for evacuation and emergency vehicle access.
As proposed, the only way in and out of the development will be a winding road that narrows to 12’4″, not enough to allow two small cars to pass each other let alone firetrucks.
Fire trucks had trouble accessing the narrow and winding roads in Castellammare during the Palisades Fire in January.
With the recent problems during evacuations of The Palisades Fire, anyone living in those mansions might have to run down a steep hillside to access Pacific Coast Highway to escape because a vehicle evacuation would be impossible.
Residents are urging that PLUM approve a site-specific EIR (Environmental Impact Review) be completed before the project moves forward.
Local residents, many of whom lost their homes in the January 7 fire, and the Castellamare Homeowners Association oppose this development on safety grounds – active landslide, fire and emergency access (paramedics) and lack of evacuation.
Last year the Los Angeles Westside Planning Commission approved the project despite the fire code waiver, but as Kimberly Feder, President of the homeowner’s association, said, “Circumstances have changed, and we hope the City Council will correct course.”
Feder added, “Our residents who want to rebuild their burned homes have to comply with the current building code including the fire code. There should be no exceptions for new projects.”
The attorney for the Castellammare Homeowner Association is urging all interested parties to be at the John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340 (Entrance on Main Street), City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, L.A. Ca. 90012.
Residents are urged to be there by 1 p.m. in order to access the Council Chamber (there may be lines). Public Comment is limited to one minute and only if attending in person. People must register at a kiosk before entering the hearing room to make a statement.
Are there carpools?