TOPANGA : Park Proposed for Popular Lookout Site

In an attempt to preserve a popular Topanga lookout spot, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority hopes to turn a three-acre parcel near the proposed Canyon Oaks development into a public park.

“It’s a place with a lot of history, where motorcyclists and motorists gather to hang out, smooch or whatever, but mostly to admire the view,” said Carolyn Barr, a project analyst with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. “On a clear day, you can see the Sespe Mountains and pretty much the whole San Fernando Valley.”

Barr said accounts from locals and photographs from as early as the 1920s show that the spot has been used for most of this century by tourists, area residents and vendors hawking fruit, ice cream and other goods.

But conservationists worry that the land, which is for sale, could be bought by a developer and used as the site for a restaurant, office building or other commercial purpose. The planned 257-acre development of mansions and a golf course on a separate parcel across Topanga Canyon Boulevard to the west already has angered many in the Topanga community.

The conservation authority this week approved an application to the Transportation Enhancement Activities Program, sponsored by the federal, state and local governments, for $667,000 to buy the three-acre lookout spot. If approved, the project would include guardrails, trash bins and placards explaining the history of the site and details of the view.