TOPANGA CANYON : Funds to Preserve Lookout Approved

In a move to preserve a historic lookout at the crest of Topanga Canyon, the California Transportation Commission has approved the use of $698,000 in federal funds for the purchase of a nine-acre parcel across the street from the proposed Canyon Oaks Estates.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which plans to buy Vista Point and turn it into an official sightseeing spot, has approved the use of about $90,000 of its own funds for the project, said Carolyn Barr, a project manager with the state agency.

On a clear day, the Santa Susana and San Gabriel mountains and Kern County are visible from the popular roadside turnout. Over the years, vendors have made a living selling fruit and ice cream to tourists driving over the mountains, Barr said.

“People have been gathering at this site since the construction of Topanga Canyon Boulevard in 1927,” Barr said. “It’s been a real party spot for a long time.”

Plans for the site on the northeast corner of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Navajo include installing park benches, planting shade trees, creating a parking lot and adding signs describing points of interest in the San Fernando Valley and the history of the area, Barr said.

Although the cash from the federal Transportation Enhancement Act probably will not be available for three to six months, approval of the grant will enable the conservancy to begin negotiating a price with the owner of the property, Barr said.

Owner Frank Niesner, who has planned a restaurant and an office building for the site, is willing to sell the land, Barr said. The lookout project does not affect the controversial proposal to build 97 homes and a private golf course on the other side of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Several other projects in the San Fernando Valley area will be considered by the California Transportation Commission a year from now at the earliest, said Patti Helm, project manager for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which sends the applications to the state commission.

They include proposals to spend $1.9 million in federal funds to remove billboards in Agoura Hills, and about $700,000 to spruce up the Ventura Freeway landscape in Agoura Hills and Westlake Village, Helm said.