TARZANA : Hillside Homes Bear Brunt of Quake Damage

Like its neighbor, Encino, Tarzana was a pocket of relatively light damage resulting from the Jan. 17 temblor. But that doesn’t mean it escaped the quake unscathed. Particularly hard hit were some of Tarzana’s posh neighborhoods nestled up against slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains.

There, the ground pushed upward and water mains broke, sending rivulets pouring down the steep hillsides.

Water caused severe damage along three steep blocks of Ellenita Avenue, where it undermined the pavement and created sink holes five to six feet deep, said Neil Spiva, Los Angeles street maintenance superintendent.

Conchita Way nearby was also damaged when the earth beneath it pushed upward, cracking the pavement, he said. Both streets are still in use, although Ellenita is only partially usable.

Crews have already begun filling in the sink holes. Repairs on Ellenita could take a month or more, Spiva said. Conchita should be fixed within the next 10 days, he said.

Although most homes in Tarzana came through the quake all right, five houses in the 18800 block of Eldeen Drive were rendered uninhabitable when the slope beneath them appeared to have slipped during the quake, said Glenn Barr, deputy for City Councilman Marvin Braude. City building inspectors estimate the damage to these homes totals about $2.5 million.

Along Ventura Boulevard, several business in the 18800 and 18900 blocks were hard hit, according to Barr. Yellow limited-entry tags are posted on many of the shops in those areas, he said.

Most of the rest of Ventura Boulevard businesses were up and running shortly after the quake, according to Sandy Miller, president of the Tarzana Chamber of Commerce. But even their future may be grim: Many of Tarzana’s boulevard shops were already suffering due to competition from Encino and Sherman Oaks shopping districts further east, Miller said. Loss of inventory and cost of structural repairs may leave many reeling for months to come, she said.

The Tarzana campus of the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center suffered only cosmetic damage and has remained fully operational, said hospital spokeswoman Janice Deutschman.

The clubhouse of the Braemar Country Club was closed for four days following the quake, but one golf course remained open in the quake’s aftermath for those who simply had to putt their way through the crisis.