The Carwash and the Developer

Gideon Kanner’s arguments in The Times’ Point/Counterpoint article (June 25) seem to say private property rights are always paramount over any public good or necessity.

Mr. Kanner’s position would lead us to believe any developer could construct a junkyard next to Carpenter Avenue Elementary School or a high-rise Century City-like tower on the site where Thrifty Drug now stands.

The city of Los Angeles has placed many planning controls on development through the years, including a three-story height moratorium on Ventura Boulevard, increased parking ratios for movie theaters, reduced height for apartments next to single-family homes, and transportation fees to mitigate traffic increases due to commercial development. Are these laws in violation of property rights protected by the U. S. Constitution? I think not.

With Mr. Kanner’s thinking, we would not have declared various buildings or sites in Los Angeles as cultural/historical monuments. The Barnsdall Arts Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the 1,000-year-old oak tree on Louise Avenue in Encino and Adat Ari El Synagogue, the first Jewish temple built in the San Fernando Valley in 1938, would all be mini-malls, apartments or high-rise commercial buildings if Mr. Kanner had his way.

The Pat Galati carwash and service station are an important part of the history and development of the east San Fernando Valley. The great performers of the past 40 years were and are patrons of this historic corner.

John Wayne, Leon Ames, Donna Reed, Ralph Bellamy, Telly Savalas, Eric Estrada, Sharon Gless and the singing cowboy Gene Autry have been regular customers at the carwash and gas station.

The movie and television industry has made Los Angeles what it is today. Why has the MCA tour been such a major tourist attraction in Universal City? Tourists are fascinated by any part of Hollywood. If these visitors knew Telly Savalas or Sharon Gless had their cars washed at Laurel Canyon and Ventura boulevards, there would be long lines just to catch a glimpse of them.

JACK McGRATH

North Hollywood