Readers React: Why doesn’t Paul Allen donate his 120 acres to the public instead of trying to sell it?

To the editor: After reading the article about Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen putting up for sale his 120-acre piece of property in Beverly Crest, I thought about all of the other possibilities for this land.

As I’m sure Allen does not need the money that could be realized from the sale, I believe he should donate the land for the benefit of all to use as open space. As there are few pieces of property this size in the Los Angeles area, it would be wonderful if the public could enjoy it.

Allen is a philanthropist, so he may be interested in this idea. There are many conservancies that would keep this as open space for wildlife or park space and put this piece of property out of reach of bulldozers and developers. Plus, Allen would be thought of by millions of people as a thoughtful conservationist.

What better way is there to help and inspire humanity?

Peter Pfeiffer, Altadena

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To the editor: How many days prior to reading about Allen’s 120-acre hilltop property did we see photos of flames consuming houses in Santa Barbara County?

Allen’s property looks like one of the most expensive firebreaks in the county. If it is sold for further development, the rest of us may have to subsidize it to build and maintain roads, provide insurance in a fire zone and pay for firefighting if the place burns, among other things.

Like putting a gun in a child’s hands, we’re endangering whole communities when we allow any alteration to the property beyond that very expensive firebreak.

Judith Anderson, Montrose

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