Conservancy Threatens to Sell Scenic Overlooks

Vandals who ravage three mountain scenic overlooks on Mulholland Drive may leave a much larger mark on Studio City parkland than just spray-painted graffiti, the head of a state agency has warned.

Rowdyism could force the closing both of the vista points and of hundreds of acres of nearby mountain parkland, said Joseph T. Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

The park sites, which lie beneath the overlooks, would then be sold to private developers for subdividing, Edmiston said.

Such sales would be a major setback to Los Angeles-area environmentalists who have lobbied hard to preserve parts of the Santa Monica Mountains as open space for hiking, horseback riding and other outdoor activities.

Vistas Anger Homeowners

The possibility of a sale came Wednesday night as homeowners met to argue against construction of more overlooks along the twisting, 22-mile road. Los Angeles city planners are expected to consider a long-range “scenic corridor” development plan for Mulholland Drive this year.

Hillside residents said the first three vista points have caused intolerable nighttime noise and vandalism in their neighborhoods since they were constructed in 1984 by the conservancy.

They applauded loudly when Edmiston unexpectly announced that his agency might demolish the existing overlooks and sell out to developers.

“If we’ve made a mistake, we’ll be the first to rectify it,” Edmiston told the crowd of more than 100 attending a meeting of a coalition of mountain homeowners groups.

“If the view of this room is representative of Mulholland residents, I suspect we’ve made a fundamental, terrible mistake. But that land can be sold. We have the power to sell it on the open market and buy land farther west.”

In the event of a sale, Edmiston said, his agency would try to forbid the construction of high-rises that would obscure the spectacular views of the San Fernando Valley and the Hollywood Bowl area now visible from Mulholland Drive.

‘Bulldoze the Overlooks’

“If we’re not wanted, maybe we’ll bulldoze the overlooks,” Edmiston said.

“How about tomorrow?” shouted one Mulholland Drive resident.

The suggestion of a sale was dismissed as a scare tactic by some residents. “Blackmail, that’s the word for it,” said Ralph Kelly, who lives near Mulholland Drive.

Homeowners said they fear for their safety because nighttime visitors sometimes start campfires at the overlooks, which are surrounded by brush.

Firefighters were called six times to one vista point last month, Mulholland Drive resident Jim Meinell told the crowd.

“I would call it a design for disaster,” said Alfredo Vega, Los Angeles City Fire Department assistant chief, who was called to the meeting by the residents. “The Fire Department is totally against scenic viewpoints.”

So is the Los Angeles Police Department, said Officer Mario Valdez. He told homeowners that the three overlooks are “a great burden” to police. “We’re dealing with gangs that don’t care about the beautification of Los Angeles,” Valdez said.

Ranger Patrols Overlooks

Edmiston said his agency has hired a ranger to help patrol the mountain park sites. “Frankly, I hope we shame the LAPD into taking more aggressive action,” he said.

“I don’t think we can lay this at the conservancy’s door,” agreed Brian Moore, president of the Federation of Hillside and Canyon Assns.

“I don’t want to live in Los Angeles without the conservancy,” Moore told the group. “If it has made a mistake . . . it’s all our responsibility to see the city get in with more enforcement.”

“We don’t want you to exit in a huff,” Elliott Johnson, president of a federation member agency, the Hollywood Heights Assn., told Edmiston.

The three scenic overlooks were developed on publicly owned right of way for a total of about $405,000, said John Diaz, an analyst for the state-chartered conservancy.

The three Studio City park sites cover about 250 acres and are worth about $100 million, Diaz said Thursday .