Letters to the Editor: Readers comment on DeBell Golf Course, city of Burbank’s permitting process

DeBell Golf Course is indeed a jewel on the hill and open to all residents at very economical prices. It offers a full 18-hole course and a shorter 9-hole course. It also has a clubhouse restaurant with good food at reasonable prices with a beautiful view of the hills.

Not everyone plays golf, but the course deserves public support. Not everyone rides bicycles, but we should have bike lanes. Not everyone has kids to play on the $350,000 art “hats” proposed for Lincoln Park, but they should be there for people who do.

Verdugo Hills golf course closed last year. Weddington in Valley Village will likely be replaced by condos. The opportunities to play golf are becoming more limited for the general public. DeBell could do a better job by way of outreach. I have never seen a flier advertising the course at Burbank schools, and there are few golf classes offered during the school year.

Golf is a great game that — unlike most other sports — can be played your whole life, alone or with other people. Allowing DeBell to return to the wilderness or be made into more hillside housing for the wealthy would be a shame.

Tom Abrams

Burbank

In response to the June 17 news article, “Director looks to increase code oversight,” we are very much in favor of having all residential building in the city of Burbank be legally permitted, constructed, demolished, etc. We also agree that it is not appropriate for projects that are properly permitted to be built without regard to the specifications submitted to the city for approval.

More importantly, it should be noted that there are a number of residents who do follow proper permitting procedures who become frustrated by the city’s extremely slow residential construction permitting process. For example, back in November 2016, our contractor submitted engineering and construction plans to the city to construct a backyard swimming pool. You would think this would be a fairly straightforward process. However, it took more than six months for our contractor to get an approval to dig a hole for a pool in our backyard! Also, as we live in the hillside area of the city, we had to do an expensive “view study” to ensure that our construction was not going to impede any of our neighbors’ views. (We are digging a hole.)

Could it be that such inappropriate requirements, in addition to the ridiculously lengthy permitting process, promotes this illegal building in Burbank? At the moment, it seems like the city’s current residential construction project approval process is neither efficient nor cost effective for anyone!

Not only does the residential building inspection process need improvement, but the initial residential building approval process needs improvement as well.

Krysten A. Brennan

Burbank