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President's Message
Although we don't own a dog (our cat forbids it), I rarely meet a dog that I don't immediately love. I find people who own dogs tend to be a little warmer, a little friendlier than most. I was so pleased when I found out that we were getting a dog park. Although far out-numbered by those who applauded the new dog park, there were a surprising number of negative comments on Facebook - the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Group Page regarding the new dog park. I was shocked when I read this especially negative response to the future dog park and Eagle Rock overall:
What a bunch of crap this is - another crappy waste of space; like the bike lanes, now a dog park. Eagle Rock is going to hell. So sad this town was really awesome few years ago.
This passionate condemnation of our great community was thought provoking, causing me to spend several minutes remembering the Eagle Rock that "was" when I moved here approximately 30 years ago - a time I assume the FB writer felt our town was awesome. When I made the decision to move here, 30+ years ago I saw the potential for "awesome" but I clearly did not see its presence. The long-closed barbecue joint located on the corner of Fair Park and Eagle Rock Boulevard was a termite infested building leaning strongly to one side, ready to collapse at any moment. Empty store-fronts on Colorado Boulevard were found in virtually every block. A prime presence at the virtual center of our town (Eagle Rock and Colorado Boulevards) was occupied by a building that had plummeted from an attractive art modern styled super market (the Shopping Bag) to an auto body / spray painting facility with a shabby industrial façade and neglected empty lot facing Colorado Boulevard. Colorado Boulevard acted largely as a freeway, a fast freeway bypass from the Glendale freeway to Pasadena, earning it the distinction of a uniquely unsafe stretch of the Boulevard.
Today surrounding community residents identify Eagle Rock as a "go to" destination for dining, entertainment, shopping, etc. The commercial success over the last couple of decades ensures that we no longer find woefully neglected or vacant buildings in our commercial center. Although the Starbucks and Walgreens outcome that replaced the Shopping Bag Building was not the outcome many hoped for, I doubt many would prefer that it be restored to the neglected structure it was in its demise. The up-scale grocery chain "Sprouts" recently opened a new store at Yosemite and Eagle Rock Boulevard, directly across from a brand-new small-lot subdivision on Yosemite, with units selling for $600,000 and more. In 2014 the Real Estate Firm Redfin named Eagle Rock the "2nd hottest neighborhood in the United States."
Bottom line, this is an awesome neighborhood today! For those who feel that Eagle Rock is "going to the dogs" now, I wish I could send them back to the "awesome" days they remember so well. For the rest of us, I say woof, woof.
Several months ago I wrote about the notion that if you don't dream, you don't get. As we all know, there is no guarantee that we will realize our dreams, but sometimes it does work out. In the next couple of months the $12M that was secured through two successful Take Back the Boulevard Grant Applications will become available for further improvements to Colorado Boulevard. Check out the Take Back the Boulevard section for more details on what can be expected.
There never seems to be a shortage of Land Use topics for this newsletter. The possible acquisition of the Bekins Estate by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has stirred up considerable community interest prompting TERA to organize a community meeting on June 22. Please note that the meeting begins earlier than most at 6PM. See the flier below for more details. Replacing the Philippine Village with a small lot subdivision project appears to be the next significant change to Eagle Rock Boulevard. As compared to Colorado Boulevard, which is largely developed, there are numerous properties on Eagle Rock Boulevard that are under-developed, leading to the assumption that this is likely to be an area of many new projects in the future.
With the summer season which brings one of my favorite community events, Concerts in the Park. The schedule for this year is provided later in the newsletter. These are very fun community events. If you have never gone, and I am constantly amazed by how many have not, make this the year that you will go at least once. Try it; I think you will like it.
A special thanks to all who are TERA members. June is the month that we kick-off our annual renewal campaign. This year we are making our first renewal outreach digitally, hoping to avoid some of the costs of US mail. Please email membership@tera90041.org if you would like a membership packet sent in the mail.
Finally, TERA will be in vacation mode for the month of July. Therefore, there will not be a July newsletter.
Show Your Love / Stay in Touch
Follow TERA on Twitter (@TERA90041) and like The Eagle Rock Association on Facebook.
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 Bob Gotham, President |
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Your support as a member is essential to sustain our efforts to preserve and improve the quality of life in Eagle Rock. We can't do it without you! To join or renew your membership online via PayPal or credit card, visit our website at www.tera90041.org. If you would like a membership packet mailed to you, or to get more personally involved in TERA please send me a note indicating your interest (president@TERA90041.org). Thank you for your support.
Membership Has Benefits!
Discounts are available for TERA Members at participating merchants (see list below.) Look for the TERA Membership Decals at merchant locations. Just show your active membership card. Click on http://www.tera90041.org to see the member benefits offered by each merchant. If you are a merchant and would like to participate in this program, which includes free advertising in the e.letter, please email us at president@tera90041.org.
We recently launched an online series, "Eagle Rock Stars," which highlights Eagle Rock merchants who participate in TERA's "Member Benefits Program." All of these merchants give special discounts, promotions and/or perks to TERA members. You can find a list of all participating merchants on the TERA website:
www.tera90041.org. And, look for the TERA logo in many shop windows! This is just one of the great benefits of TERA membership. Follow @TERA90041 and Like us on Facebook (TERA - The Eagle Rock Association) to find out more about Eagle Rock Stars in your neighborhood.
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Michael Woodward - 1950 - 2016
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The recent passing of Michael Woodward was a great loss, not just to those who loved him, but to the larger Eagle Rock Community. I knew him initially from his participation on the TERA Board. In its infancy TERA supported the Eagle Rockdale Garden and Art Park, by providing administrative support and the non-profit organization under which the Garden operated. Eventually I worked closely with Mike Woodward as he led the efforts for the Garden to become a totally independent entity.
On a more personal basis, Mike was the only one we allowed to trim our miniature elm tree, probably the most special tree in our yard. Mike had an incredible understanding of how a tree could be pruned so that it was a caring act, not an assault. We will miss him, as will our elm. All of Eagle Rock will also miss Mike's extraordinary generosity of service to our community.
For those who have never visited the Garden, a very special spot in Eagle Rock, I encourage you to put it on your bucket list. For those who have a yearning to be a gardener, but no plot of soil, or want to garden as part of a nurturing group, I suggest you reach out to the Garden through their Facebook presence.
Karen Kalbin, a member of the leadership team at the Garden, recently sent some caring comments to Garden Members and has generously allowed them to be shared in this newsletter.
From: Karen Kalbin
Subject: Eagle Rockdale Community Garden
Date: June 10, 2016
Dear Gardeners,
By now many of you have heard that Mike Woodward, our beloved garden manager and friend, passed away last weekend. He was 66 and died of cancer in the home he built, just up the street from the community garden, with his wife Lois by his
side.
As written in an earlier email, Mike devoted countless hours to not only the community garden, but also to North East Trees, TERA(The Eagle Rock Association), the Lummis Home garden, and the city's Community Forest Advisory Committee, among other civic-minded volunteer gigs. Mike was a fully engaged, chatty, sociable, curious person. You didn't know him because you're a newer member? He built your garden bed. He shoveled, quite literally, TONS of mulch into his pickup and brought it to the garden to enrich your soil and suppress the weeds around your bed. He was the bravest, most selfless combatant of the garden's veritable farmstead of poison oak--a job pretty much no one in the garden wanted to or would do.
Like so much of his life, he dealt with mortality with an astonishing equanimity and humor. It feels incredibly wrong that he's not here to chew over the insanity of this presidential election.
There is much more to say, and that will be said, about the kind of person Mike was. But we didn't want to let more time pass without acknowledging his death.
Next week we will email and post on the garden's Facebook page (Eagle Rockdale Community Garden and Art Park) a copy of the L.A. City Council commendation that was awarded to Mike just days before he died. It is our small hope that Mike knew how much he was cherished as a friend, leader, and urban nature warrior.
Today the City Council adjourns in his memory. We will send the video feed when it is made available.
A celebration of Mike's life will probably happen sometime in July. On June 18th the potluck is to celebrate the great success of the plant sale and to acknowledge your contributions.
Finally, a number of people are working together to create a public tribute to Mike. We'll let you know the details and how you might contribute as we get further along in the planning. And of course we will ask for your help if Lois needs our righteous army of garden volunteers. Thanks to all of you who came to weed at Mike and Lois' house a few weeks ago. Mike knew you were there and was grateful that the garden members rallied to help.
As wrenching as Mike's illness and death has been, it has also underscored the meaning and value of community - To be connected and invested in each other and our environment. Thank you Mike Woodward!
Karen, Martin and Suzie
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Take Back the Boulevard - Phase II
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Because of the efforts of the Take Back the Boulevard Initiative $12M will be coming to our community in the next couple of months. These funds are to be spent on further improvements to Colorado Boulevard. A quick trip down memory lane is in order.
TBTB meetings began in March 2011. For the next couple of years, numerous community meetings were conducted. Based on stakeholder feedback from those meetings, the Colorado Boulevard Vision Plan was developed. It was quickly recognized that the evidence of significant community outreach and clear vision for the Boulevard, as would be found in a Vision Plan would significantly enhance our ability to find further funding. It also was a very practical approach to documenting what changes Eagle Rockers would like to see on Colorado Boulevard. Please familiarize yourself with this important document which can be viewed at http://www.tera90041.org/colorado_blvd_vision_plan.aspx.
Many of the goals found in the Colorado Boulevard Vision Plan were accomplished in the initial phase of TBTB. In order to address aspects of the Vision Plan that remained outstanding, the TBTB Team submitted Grant Applications to the Metro Call for Projects (City Program) and the Active Transportation Program (State Program). Based on the strength of our Grant Applications, which were significantly enhanced by the existence of the Colorado Boulevard Vision Plan, we won both applications, winning a total of $12M (Metro Call for Projects - $2.195M, Active Transportation Program $9.7M).
How the $12M will be used will be guided by outstanding goals found in the Colorado Boulevard Vision Plan and guidelines that are defined by each of the Grants. Although improvements to the Boulevard will extend the entire length of Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, changes will be more visible in the western segment, between Sierra Villa and Eagle Rock Boulevards. At a high level the following improvements represent examples of how the Boulevard may be further improved.
- New medians
- Protected turn pockets in new and existing medians.
- Additional crosswalks and pedestrian refuge areas.
- Bump outs/curb extensions, especially in the areas of bus stops.
- Better pedestrian lighting.
- Enhanced bus stop amenities (furniture, shade, trash cans, etc.).
- "Way finding" signage that may include a "Welcome to Eagle Rock" monument.
As stated earlier, the changes to the Boulevard are largely guided by what is found in the Colorado Boulevard Vision Plan - which is a product of a series of community meetings held in past years. As we move forward in Phase II of TBTB, there will be aspects of the project that will require additional community feedback - such as the selection of the design for new street furniture, potentially to choose the style of the poles and fixtures for new pedestrian lighting, etc. Those meetings will be announced well in advance. Be on the lookout for them.
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Philippine Village - TERA's Qualified Support
The developer plans to replace the existing Philippine Village with a 38 unit small lot subdivision. TERA's qualified support was based on the several positive attributes of this project. The development will add new housing into a city that is drastically short of housing. No residents are being displaced so no issues of gentrification will be encountered. The Philippine Village Buildings, that are an unattractive presence on the Boulevard, will be replaced by much more attractive new structures that resemble townhouses. Complying with the mixed-use guidelines for structures facing Eagle Rock Boulevard, the units facing the Boulevard will include space for small commercial presence. The units will be three stories high, requiring approval of a zoning exception to for a height of 36' rather than 30' as allowed by current zoning guidelines.
In an attempt to optimize the new development's contribution to the Eagle Rock Boulevard experience, the following caveats were included with our letter of support.
In order to firmly establish the mixed use aspect of the development and to heighten safety in the immediate area:
- Include ancillary lighting on the façade of the units that face Eagle Rock Boulevard. Install the lights so that they will be lit, independently from the individual units, from dusk until midnight every evening.
- Collaborate with the City of Los Angeles to install pedestrian lighting in front of the units facing Eagle Rock Boulevard.
The following conditions will improve the street-side appearance of the new structures and the overall aesthetics and green aspects of the area surrounding the new structures.
- Engage a landscape architect to develop and implement a new landscape plan for the entire median that passes in front of 4515 Eagle Rock Boulevard. The landscape plan should reflect community feedback, must be approved by the City of Los Angeles and feature an assortment of plants that are drought tolerant and sustainable in the current climate. Also update the median irrigation to meet current city standards. Maintain the median for the first year, after which the City of Los Angeles would be responsible.
- Ensure that all existing and any new tree wells indicated by the Bureau of Street Services are planted. Provide ongoing care and maintenance for the trees, especially for any newly planted trees, ensuring that the new trees become well established and all trees thrive.
It is TERA's hope that this is the first of many Eagle Rock Boulevard projects that will include components to improve the overall nature and character of the Boulevard.
Bekins Estate Today - Retreat Center Tomorrow?
As has been widely reported, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles hopes to purchase this unique property and turn it into a retreat center. The property has been for sale for several years. A recent Agent Detail Report indicates that the price was reduced from $6M to $4.9M, a considerable reduction. In addition the document indicates "all offers welcome" indicating further pricing flexibility.
Included in the property are 9 bedroom suites, 12 baths, 6 full kitchens, 3 bars, and 5 laundry units. In addition there is a pool, spa, fires pits and a gazebo. Croquet greens, rose gardens, fountains, koi ponds, waterfalls, a tennis court, picnic spots and parking for 40 cars all create an atmosphere that could easily be envisioned as Party Central, certainly not a welcome prospect for the Hill Drive Community.
Residents in the area have many concerns regarding the property transitioning from a private home to an institutional type property. Parking, traffic, and disturbing the tranquility of this sterling neighborhood remain high on the list of concerns. The representative of the Archdiocese has indicated that the church intends to eliminate several guest houses, a garage and the pool so that a new structure with parking to house retreat participants could be built.
It has been indicated by the church that approximately eight staff members would reside on the property and an average of eight retreat participants would be on site at any time. Given the modest number of on-site staff members and retreat participants it will be interesting to better understand the rationale for investing so much in new construction on a property that already has considerable capacity for staff and guests. To answer that question and many more, TERA has scheduled the following community meeting.
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