Meeting Date: 03/24/15 07:00 PM

Meeting Type: Regular

Location: The Mulholland Tennis Club – 2555 Crest View Drive

Details:

1.  Welcome and general comments.

2.  Update with regard to Bulwer Drive.  Bulwer Drive, LLC and the Bureau of Engineering have proposed paving the existing dirt road without providing for (ii) two way traffic, and (ii) any turnaround.  LAFD, City Sanitation Dept. trucks and other large vehicles still would not be able to safely service homes there.  The Board of Public Works will reconsider the proposal.  Pending a report's prepartion, a hearing date for that reconsideration has not yet been set.

3. Laurel Canyon Blvd. – discuss some traffic problems, whether the roadway needs repaving, and what further improvements should be requested.  Also, provide a brief update on repaving Mulholland Drive. 

4.  Pace Restaurant – 2100 Laurel Canyon Blvd.  

Pace restaurant has applied to the City's Planning Dept. for additional entitlements to expand its size, no. of seats, hours of operation (both indoors and outdoors) and add disc jockeys and karaoke. The details are available both on the 10/19/14 area 9 committee meeting agenda and on the area 9 committee's website page.

This is an update and continuation of the discussion at the 10/19/14 meeting.

After that meeting, questions and concerns have arisen with regard to (i) whether the restaurant was expanded and operated with the additional space but without required permits, (ii) whether the patio and other restaurant space encroaches on the public right of way/public land without required permits,  (iii) whether speed humps were installed next to the restaurant without required permits, (iv) whether there is an LAPD approved valet parking plan, and (v) whether any food preparation work was conducted off site at nearby homes, which are not zoned for commercial use.

5.  Party houses in HHWNC's Areas 8 & 9 – a discussion.

6.  Los Angeles City Council District 4 runoff election:

Candidates Carolyn Ramsay and David Ryu will speak to us and have an opportunity to answer some questions.  

Questions for the candidates should be submitted and will be screened. We anticipate that only a small portion of the questions will be asked to either or both candidates. If you wish to submit a question in advance of the meeting, please send your questions to the two area committee chairs at [email protected] and [email protected]. You also may submit questions to the area committee chairs during the meeting.

7.  Public comments on non-agendized items.

8.  Adjournment.

The meeting began at approximately 7:07 pm.  

Orrin Feldman introduced Sean Benaroya, the area 8 committee chair, and Oren Katz, the business committee chair.  He explained how the meeting's first hour would cover the agenda items other than hearing from the Council District 4 City Council candidates. The second hour would devoted to the two candidates, Carolyn Ramsay and David Ryu. Questions would need to be submitted and screened; no questions would be asked from the floor. 

Orrin reported on the efforts of The Bureau of Engineering, the Board of Public Works, and Bulwer Drive, LLC to pave over the Bulwer Drive dirt road without providing (i) an adequate turnaround for LAFD, Sanitation and other service vehicles, and (ii) two way traffic. Pending a Bureau of Engineering report to the City Council, the City Council committee's hearing to send the matter back to the Bureau had not been scheduled.

Traffic issues relating to both Laurel Canyon Blvd. and Mulholland Drive were the next topic discussed.  Stakeholders asked why LA Department of Transportation had never made any improvements to provide better access to Mulholland Drive from both Woodrow Wilson and Briar Summit. Stakeholders also wished for additional time for traffic travelling east/west on Mulholland Drive during peak traffic times, and for additional traffic times at the left hand west bound traffic light's arrow at Laurel/Laurel Terrace. Stakeholders generally thought that the Laurel/Laurel Terrace light time was so short as to be inherently dangerous and possibly accident causing.

There also was a suggestion that both intersections warranted further study. A suggestion was made that LA DOT should consider whether it would be appropriate to cut back some of the landscaping at the DWP installation at Laurel/Mulholland if it could improve the through traffic flow at the intersection in a safe manner.

One stakeholder mentioned that her Vespa was not big enough to trigger the arrowed turn signal on southbound Laurel Canyon Blvd. at Mulholland, which left her stranded sometimes in the intersection. She asked whether LA DOT could look into fixing that problem.   

Pace restaurant was discussed briefly. It is expected to be on the May meeting's agenda.

Party house issues also were discussed briefly.  

The meeting's second hour was spent listening to Carolyn Ramsey and David Ryu answering questions and discussing their goals, if elected, as the next City Council Member for Council District 4.

The meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm.  

 

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