Hillside

Thank you, William Slaughter (“Not a big fan of a sign of the times,” Jan. 27)! It is far more than offensive, it is despicable. I would be very interested to know how this company/person received a license/permit for a billboard that defaces the hillside. Karen Marvin??? La Crescenta??? Police chief moving in the right direction In reference to the Jan. 31 story “Police officers placed on leave,” Police Chief Ron De Pompa should be commended for his no-nonsense, tough approach to this serious issue.

Regarding Saturday's News-Press story “Soothing hillside burns,” maybe the Forest Service should sooth the hillside homeowners and reimburse them for their loss due to flooding after the fire. The Forest Service I felt was at fault for not putting the fire out immediately. The article does not say anything about surrounding the new trees with chicken wire to protect them from being a meal for the deer. Bob Gregg Glendale Interpreting the election results Now that all the votes have been counted, community-minded Glendalians are trying to sort out the lessons from this month’s somewhat surprising city election.

The City Council this week decided to hold off on finalizing regulations for hillside development until two affected neighborhoods go through the city's community planning process. Glendale has been grappling with ways to regulate hillside development since 2004. Most of the problems were worked out in 2008, but a few remain. The remaining hillside issues relate to floor area ratios, parking requirements and setbacks, according to a city report. Planning officials recently completed the city's first community plan, which lays out visions and adjusts city rules to meet what residents living in North Glendale want.

For the third time in five years, a proposal to build a home on a North Glendale hillside that overlooks the intersection of Brand Boulevard and Kenneth Road has been shot down by the City Council. The proposed two-story house on an undeveloped knoll between Hazbeth Lane and Glenmont Drive has sparked discontent between property rights proponents and neighbors, who fear the development will scar the hillside and cause geological issues. The proposed project - which would include a 3,278-square-foot house, a garage of roughly 900 square feet, a 510-foot private roadway and a 100-foot tram on a granite bedrock slope - has become one of the most contentious hillside development proposals in years, befuddling the property's' owner, Adel Luzuriaga.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — A blaze that blackened 60 acres of steep terrain and heavy brush was more than 70% contained late Tuesday after firefighters battled flames that came within several feet of hillside homes along Glenoaks Boulevard. Crews continued to work into the night putting out hot spots along the hillside. Nearly 300 area firefighters descended upon the Ventura (134) and Glendale (2) Freeway junction, where a blaze that started just after 4 p.m. on the highway hillside quickly jumped over the mountain, threatening homes on the other side.

Alex Coolman CITY HALL -- A month after it slapped a temporary freeze on hillside development, the City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday to determine how the measure has been affecting residents -- and how it could be extended. The 45-day ban on steep slope development went into effect Jan. 2. It blocked building on steep and narrow lots and lots where construction would require extensive grading. Since that time, the city has held a study session and a community workshop, aiming to get input from affected property owners.

Alex Coolman CITY HALL -- Schizophrenic policy was the outcome of this week's attempt by the City Council to deal with hillside development, with officials moving forward on three competing approaches to the problem. Councilman Sheldon Baker, who has expressed strong reservations about the wisdom of a building moratorium, introduced an ordinance Tuesday that would repeal the building freeze. The city's moratorium has been in place since January and restricts building on steep and narrow lots.

CITY HALL — Another package of proposed changes to hillside zoning codes will be presented to the City Council today, nearly three years after the last round of amendments. Since that time, the City Council has increasingly had to deal with complaints about how intrusive a proposed home can be in relation to the lot’s size and slope as neighbor criticisms — and appeals to projects — have continued to mount. What started out as a simple request in November 2004 to review the merits of amending hillside development standards further to include a variable floor-area-to-lot-size ratio, adjusting street-front home setbacks and having different requirements for uphill and downhill lots has turned into a list of 10 proposals after dozens of community and planning staff meetings.

Jackson Bell Since last month's series of disastrous deluges rocked Glendale into a state of local emergency, city officials will conduct an educational clinic to help hillside residents better guard their homes against future rainstorms. Representatives from the Fire Prevention Bureau and other city departments including Planning and Building & Safety will give tips on preventing soil erosion. The how-to clinic will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the city's Municipal Services Building, room 105, 633 E. Broadway.

The Glendale City Council took the first half of its much-anticipated hillside tour Tuesday. After another tour Thursday, the council should have all of the information necessary to make hillside decisions. For scheduling purposes, the city's Planning Department is giving two identical tours. The first was Tuesday; the second is at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Council members requested the tour so they can see firsthand the differences between various slopes, which are used for zoning purposes.

The Glendale City Council this week denied a controversial project to build a hillside home on a steep slope in Chevy Chase Canyon after it got entangled in new campaign finance rules earlier this month. The council had moved the vote on the 3,158-square-foot single-family home proposed for a lot bordered by Buckingham Road, Figueroa Street and Linda Vista Road by two weeks so that Councilman Dave Weaver could vote on it. He had to recuse himself earlier this month because he had accepted a $100 donation from the project's architect.

For the third time in five years, a proposal to build a home on a North Glendale hillside that overlooks the intersection of Brand Boulevard and Kenneth Road has been shot down by the City Council. The proposed two-story house on an undeveloped knoll between Hazbeth Lane and Glenmont Drive has sparked discontent between property rights proponents and neighbors, who fear the development will scar the hillside and cause geological issues. The proposed project - which would include a 3,278-square-foot house, a garage of roughly 900 square feet, a 510-foot private roadway and a 100-foot tram on a granite bedrock slope - has become one of the most contentious hillside development proposals in years, befuddling the property's' owner, Adel Luzuriaga.

The City Council this week decided to hold off on finalizing regulations for hillside development until two affected neighborhoods go through the city's community planning process. Glendale has been grappling with ways to regulate hillside development since 2004. Most of the problems were worked out in 2008, but a few remain. The remaining hillside issues relate to floor area ratios, parking requirements and setbacks, according to a city report. Planning officials recently completed the city's first community plan, which lays out visions and adjusts city rules to meet what residents living in North Glendale want.

A bobcat was spotted near DeBell Golf Club in Burbank Saturday morning near the intersection of Grinnell and Sunset Canyon drives, police said. The cat was seen around 10 a.m. in a wash area near a smaller course called the “Nine Hole, Par 3,” which is part of DeBell, said Burbank Police Lt. D. Yadon. The smaller course is separate from DeBell physically, the two courses divided by a catch basin. The bobcat was in the wash that runs from the basin, Yadon said. Officers were dispatched, but no bobcat was found, he added.

A bobcat was spotted today in an open grass area of Brand Park in north Glendale, said city spokesman Tom Lorenz. The cat, which weighed approximately 20 to 30 pounds, was spotted about 12:30 p.m. before it jumped over a wall into the southeast area of the park. A few seconds later, it hopped back over the wall, returning to the hillside, Lorenz said in an email. Animal control officers were called to the park, but Lorenz said officials did not consider the bobcat to be dangerous.

Burbank police today issued another public safety alert after residents 900 block of Country Club Drive reported seeing a mountain lion. The sighting was reported at 9:15 p.m. on Monday as the lion was heading back into the nearby hillside in Northwest Burbank, according to police. Several mountain lions have been reported in the Burbank hillsides this summer, prompting warnings from officials to keep pet food indoors and to avoid hiking or jogging alone, especially at dawn or dusk, when the big cats are more active.

Eight hikers were rescued early Tuesday from a hillside above Brand Park after they were unable to climb down a mountain trail, officials said. The hikers were not injured during the incident, which occurred at approximately 11:25 p.m. Monday at the park, Glendale fire officials said. A helicopter crew found the group on a trail near the 7 Pines area and kept a spotlight on them until a rescue crew reached them, officials said. The group told authorities they were working out on the trails, officials said.

I'm writing to share a story about a hard-working group of city employees. We who live in the canyons are required to clear our hillsides every year. Recently I learned that the city's Neighborhood Services has a fee-based service that clears hillsides in the city. Their estimate was very competitive, I hired them and I'm very pleased with the results. I recommend their services to everyone. Lynn McGinnis Glendale Join the fight for women’s rights Even as young women graduate in record numbers from U.S. high schools and colleges this month, they still face many barriers.

Regarding Saturday's News-Press story “Soothing hillside burns,” maybe the Forest Service should sooth the hillside homeowners and reimburse them for their loss due to flooding after the fire. The Forest Service I felt was at fault for not putting the fire out immediately. The article does not say anything about surrounding the new trees with chicken wire to protect them from being a meal for the deer. Bob Gregg Glendale Interpreting the election results Now that all the votes have been counted, community-minded Glendalians are trying to sort out the lessons from this month’s somewhat surprising city election.

CITY HALL — City officials are expected to restrict overnight access to some open-space areas in high-fire-hazard zones. The move follows expressions of concern from residents about teens engaging in reckless behavior, including drinking, smoking and littering. The curfew, which would start at 10 p.m. and end the following morning, would affect areas that are mostly in high-fire zones along Glendale’s hillsides. The City Council is considering whether to extend the curfew to 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. “It’s a tool to enforce because right now there is no law to enforce any kind of curfew or to prevent people from going on the property after 10 p.m.,” Assistant City Atty.