Letter: Gates idea isn’t very neighborly

I wonder how many Burbank residents know they live less than a mile or two from a lovely little lake? That’s right, there really is a lake in Toluca Lake — somewhere. But it doesn’t matter if you know about it or not, since you can’t actually see it or go there unless you’re invited to one of the private homes or the Lakeside Golf Club that own it. This seems a shame to me, so why on earth would I want to encourage like-minded development in Burbank?

Are residents in the Hillside so afraid of mingling with the great unwashed rest of us that they have to block access to their streets and the mountain behind them? Are there really droves of people cruising up and down Castleman Lane just waiting for the chance to annoy a resident or invade their homes? What’s next? Armed guards to protect local royalty? The rest of Burbank is concerned with cell towers in their front yards and parolees living next door. Forgive me if I don’t see the need to further separate parts of the Hillside from the rest of the city. And neither should the Planning Board.

Tom Abrams
Burbank