Some Demand That ‘Trademark’ View Be Restored : Anaheim Hills Residents Protest Privacy Wall

Its detractors have dubbed it the “Great Wall of Anaheim Hills,” but unlike its Chinese namesake it is not winning rave notices from sightseers or residents who want panoramic views of northern Orange County’s hills and dales.

Many residents complain that the six-foot-high, 3,200-foot-long, tan, cinder-block structure has blotted out the sweeping vistas they used to enjoy. Some are demanding that it be torn down.

The wall, on a stretch of Nohl Ranch Road near Meats Avenue, is being built as part of an exclusive residential community of $1-million-to-$2-million homes. The developer said the wall is needed to protect the privacy of these homeowners, whose houses will be built in the canyon just below the wall.

But neighbor Regine Walker said: “The view was given to us as a blessing of nature. It’s a resource that should be protected by the city and residents of Anaheim.”

Approval Delayed

Residents opposed to the wall won a victory of sorts Monday, when the Anaheim Planning Commission decided to delay approving a portion of the project.

The developer was seeking permission to build 7-foot, 3-inch decorative brick pilasters at 40-foot intervals along the wall.

Planning commissioners decided to delay action on the request until building inspectors could determine whether the wall is at least seven feet from the curb, as required by city code.

City Attorney Jack White said previously that the city has no cause to revoke the building permit for the wall. He said specifications for the wall, including its height, are permitted under city zoning laws.

Commission members hope that developer Vic Peloquin and angry neighbors will compromise before the panel reconsiders the issue Oct. 12.

The Anaheim Hills Citizens Coalition, a homeowners group in favor of controlled growth, has vowed to take legal action if the wall is not taken down.

Traffic Woes Claimed

Robert Zemel, chairman of the coalition, said the city staff made a mistake in not requiring an environmental impact study of the wall. Zemel said that the wall is already causing traffic problems for motorists and that noise from busy Nohl Ranch Road is being deflected toward homes on the other side of the road.

“Because of environmental concerns created by the wall, the sphere of influence includes substantially more than just protecting the privacy of homes,” Zemel said. “The view is a trademark of Anaheim Hills, and I think the city should apply pressure so that the builder will modify the wall to restore that view.”

But developer Peloquin said that because of its construction, the wall could not be modified. He said if torn down, that would be at considerable cost.

“I have a feeling it would be a financial disaster,” said Peloquin, who estimated the wall’s cost at $650,000. “I have people who are buying into very expensive homes with the understanding that they will have a wall to protect their privacy. They don’t want people to be able to look down from that road into their homes.”

Peloquin also said dense landscaping planned for the wall would decrease the noise. He angered some residents by asserting that much of the heralded view was created in the last several months when the project was graded.

“The views created weren’t always there,” he said. “We are changing this from a junk-filled, weed-strewn hillside to a beautiful, gated community.”