"Eagle Rock: Where land use and planning is a contact sport"

THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION

TERA

-- e.letter --

August 29, 2002

In this issue:


1.  WALGREENS PROPOSAL DISAPPROVED BY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD!

2.  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS AT THE WALGREENS/DRB HEARING

3.  GRAND CLEAN-UP AT EAGLE ROCK COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER -- SEPTEMBER 7

4.  OCCIDENTAL-FOOTHILL MASTER CHORALE TO JOIN PASADENA POPS ORCHESTRA IN SEPT. 11 MEMORIAL CONCERT

5.  ANNUAL "STATE OF THE TOWN" ADDRESS -- SEPTEMBER 17

6.  YOUR BUNGALOW HOME COULD BE FEATURED IN UPCOMING BOOKS!

7.  LETTER TO WALGREENS DEVELOPER

8.  PARKING A REAL PROBLEM FOR FUTURE GOLD LINE PASSENGERS -- SEPTEMBER 5

9.  WOMEN'S WORK ART EXHIBIT -- CALL FOR ENTRIES -- DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 12

10.  TERA'S WEB SITE -- HTTP://WWW.TERA90041.ORG

11.  JAZZ AT COLOMBO'S -- CORRECTION

12.  OUR CONDOLENCES TO PEGGY CAIRNS

13.  LETTERS AND E.MAILS

14.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK


1.  WALGREENS PROPOSAL DISAPPROVED BY DESIGN REVIEW BOARD!

As well it should have been, otherwise known as a "no-brainer."  This plan has been badly misguided from the start, not just the proposal itself, but also by the way the City horrendously bungled it.

You might be wondering whether TERA is doing something to get a truly quality project going on the site instead.  Yes, we are.  In fact, we have contacted several other prospective tenants in an effort to bring in a business that would likely restore and reuse the existing building as well as serve the true needs of our community.

It's more than clear that Walgreens thus far is being completely insensitive to our community's wishes to restore the existing 1940s Shopping Bag building, even though the company has restored and adaptively reused older and/or historic buildings in many other areas throughout the nation, including Los Angeles (Miracle Mile district)!

Why do they think that Eagle Rock is not good enough for the same consideration?  We ARE good enough, and then some.  And we all know it.

Stay tuned.  We'll update you as we know more.


2.  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS AT THE WALGREENS/DRB HEARING

The following is Eagle Rock resident Vince Waldron's first-hand account of last week's Design Review Board (DRB) hearing regarding the Walgreens proposal:

I made a point of attending the Eagle Rock Design Review Board's August 22 meeting when I heard that the new developer on the Walgreens project was going to present his latest plans for the site.  I've been following this development with keen interest, as have many local residents and business owners who care about the fate of that very visible corner of our community.  I was also aware that this latest chapter in the unfolding saga of the Shopping Bag building promised to provide a compelling evening of real life theatre.  And I wasn't disappointed -- there was more legal wrangling, procedural gamesmanship and top caliber fact-spinning in last week's DRB meeting than in any three John Grisham novels.

The meeting began with a presentation by developer Tab Johnson, who addressed his audience with the cool aplomb of a trial lawyer making his closing statement.  Mr. Johnson had obviously come to Eagle Rock determined to close this deal once and for all, and he presented his remarks with a curious combination of confidence and condescension, like a traveling salesman who'd arrived in a small town fully prepared to dazzle the locals with his surefire pitch.   The main thrust of his spiel was that his development firm had somehow managed to transmogrify the troubled Walgreens development into a potentially vital community resource for all of Eagle Rock.  He offered scant evidence, however, that his company had done much more than make a few superficial adjustments to the previous developer's plans before attempting to foist them off on us one more time.  Indeed, the set of architectural drawings propped up on the easel next to Mr. Johnson depicted a project that looked essentially unchanged from the last time we saw it.  There was the same drab and undistinguished big box structure, plopped down in the middle of the same seemingly endless ocean of asphalt, fronted by the same pointless canopy structure.  As the developer continued to tout Walgreens as a "good neighbor" for Eagle Rock, he seemed to overlook the irony that the plan he was presenting as evidence of his employer's good will had already moved more than 2,000 community members to register their displeasure in the form of a petition circulated shortly after those plans were made public last year.

As Mr. Johnson continued his fanciful spin session, he seemed to move further and further into the realm of wishful thinking, finally resorting to leaps of logic that seemed to defy the boundaries of common sense.   When one of the DRB members pointed out how the Walgreens project -- if built according to the developer's current plan -- would create a massive eyesore when viewed from the busy intersection of Colorado and Eagle Rock boulevards, Mr. Johnson actually seemed to acknowledge that his project would appear unsightly from that vantage point.   But, he was quick to explain, the fault for that flaw lay not in any shortcoming of his plans, but in the gas station that sits next to his proposed development.  As best I could figure it, Mr. Johnson seemed to imply that if his proposed development ended up looking unsightly from that busy corner, it would only be because the gas station next door failed to provide sufficient building mass to block the view of his property.

No -- really.  That was his argument.  You really had to be there.

But despite the developer's highly polished rhetoric, it was immediately apparent that at least a few members of the seven-person DRB panel simply weren't buying it.   Mr. Johnson seemed at a particular loss when DRB member Philip Chiao wondered aloud if the current project didn't violate the section of the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan that prohibits a developer from putting parking spaces between a storefront and Colorado Boulevard, as this project clearly does.  And when Mr. Chiao later asked the developer why Walgreens won't simply consider moving the project's main building up to the property line on Colorado, the developer offered the lame explanation that such a plan would not be "operationally feasible" for the store that Walgreens envisions.  The developer, however, was uncharacteristically silent when Mr. Chiao debated that point by suggesting that the mid-Wilshire area Walgreens store seems to be operating quite successfully, despite its location in a building that fronts directly onto Wilshire Boulevard with no parking lot anywhere in sight.

The meeting proceeded to the by-now de rigueur community comments blasting the project, and came to a close not long afterward, when DRB member Dalila Sotelo made a motion to disapprove Walgreens' current design modifications outright. That motion was easily passed with supporting votes from four of the panel's seven members, and the meeting came to a close.

Of course, since the DRB operates as an advisory body only, last week's decision to disapprove the developer's current plans is hardly the last word on the matter.  On the contrary, if the August 22 meeting demonstrated anything, it's that this ill-conceived development still has surprising momentum behind it.   After speaking informally with the LA Planning Department members who also attended last week's meeting, it became painfully apparent to me that Eagle Rock has no strong advocate in City Hall willing to represent the community's wishes on this issue.   As I see it, the best chance those of us who live, work and shop in Eagle Rock have to make an impact on this decision is by continuing to provide pressure on the downtown decision makers in whose hands the fate of this project tenuously rests.


To provide that needed pressure to those downtown decision makers, please contact Council member Nick Pacheco at npacheco@council.lacity.org and Planning Director Con Howe at chowe@planning.lacity.org.


3.  GRAND CLEAN-UP  AT EAGLE ROCK COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER -- SEPTEMBER 7

THE EAGLE ROCK COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER NEEDS YOU!

Volunteers are urgently needed  for a Grand Clean-up being held at the Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center, 2225 Colorado Blvd., on Saturday, September 7, 2002, 9am - 12 noon.  Please come and help with one of the community's most needed events. Come and meet other caring neighbors, get to know the Center and its kindly staff and board, and meet the new Director.

If we all work together we will have the Center looking 'Eagle Rock Beautiful' by noon!  For further information, please call 323, 226-1617.


4.  OCCIDENTAL-FOOTHILL MASTER CHORALE TO JOIN PASADENA POPS ORCHESTRA IN SEPT. 11 MEMORIAL CONCERT
            
The Occidental-Foothill Master Chorale will join the Pasadena Pops Orchestra in a performance of Mozart's Requiem at 8:46 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, on the steps of Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. The free concert is being given in conjunction with a worldwide Rolling Requiem to honor victims and heroes on the one-year anniversary of last year's terrorist attacks.
 
The goal of the Rolling Requiem is to have choirs performing in each time zone around the world, beginning at 8:46 a.m., the moment of the first attack. Performances of the Requiem will begin in New Zealand and the Philippines, cross to Japan, Siberia and China, and continue in Africa, India and Italy. Concerts will next be staged in Brazil, Guatemala and New York, then across North and South America. The Requiem finally passes through Hawaii and other Pacific islands to complete a 24-hour cycle of continuous singing.
 
The event was conceived by a group of Seattle Symphony Chorale members who hope unified singing will effectively commemorate the nearly 3,000 lives lost at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
 
The Occidental-Foothill Master Chorale is a large oratorio chorus dedicated to the performance of major choral works with orchestra. Directed by Jeffrey Bernstein, director of choral music at Occidental College, it is open by audition to all singers with choral or instrumental experience from the local community.
 
For more information, please call Norma Navarro at (323) 259-2785, or visit the Rolling Requiem website at http://www.rollingrequiem.org.


5.  ANNUAL "STATE OF THE TOWN" ADDRESS -- SEPTEMBER 17

Please join TERA at our next public meeting to hear Council member Pacheco give his annual "State of the Town" address.  It will take place on Tuesday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m., at the Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center, 2225 Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock.  Refreshments will be served.

Come hear what's been happening around Eagle Rock over the last year, and what will be happening in the future.  Public safety, parking problems, commercial development, and other issues will be discussed.  There will be a question-and-answer period, so bring your questions!

Please attend!  This particular meeting was the favorite among TERA members when surveyed earlier this year.  We ask only that you donate $2 to help offset our costs.  All monies collected go to the Cultural Center.  Thank you.


6.  YOUR BUNGALOW HOME COULD BE FEATURED IN UPCOMING BOOKS!

Dear Bungalow Homeowner --

Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen, co-authors of Bungalow Kitchens & Bungalow Bathrooms, (see it at http://www.bungalowkitchens.com) are writing three new books on bungalows. TERA has invited them to come to Northeast Los Angeles in October to photograph our wonderful houses for inclusion in these books!  

Bungalow Kitchens is a book about how to restore or design a period or period-style kitchen for a bungalow or other early 20th-century house. It provides a wealth of ideas about cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring, and all the other elements that make up a bungalow kitchen, as well as advice about integrating modern technology while maintaining the bungalow look, all presented in an entertaining and even humorous way.  A hundred and fifty color photographs of original restored and new kitchens, as well as detailed illustrations, provide inspiration.

Not finished with your restoration project?  Cobwebs in the corner? No problem!  They are seeking interesting interior and exterior features to show as well as whole-house shots.  This is our chance to promote Northeast Los Angeles's historic communities, thereby encouraging preservation.

Do you have old photographs of your house?  Jane and Linda are especially interested in combining them with the current photos in the book.  

Please contact me, Suzanne Prieur at enchanted_wds.com or call me at (323) 257-7042, if you should want your house immortalized in a quality book, or two or three!


7.  LETTER TO WALGREENS DEVELOPER

The following is a letter we sent to Tab Johnson, the new developer of the Walgreens proposal, more than a week before the DRB hearing on August 22 (see Item 2 above) in an effort to work with him on this project.  It is only common sense that all developers should involve members of the community in which they wish to build, and that hasn't occurred in this particular case.  Considering what later happened at the DRB hearing, it is no surprise that we didn't receive a response:

Dear Mr. Johnson --

My name is Joanne Turner, and I am the president of the residents association here in Eagle Rock.  We are known as The Eagle Rock Association, or TERA, and we have existed for more than 16 years and have over 1,000 members, including approximately40 local business members.

I understand you and your company are now working on the proposed Walgreens project at 2222 Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock.  I also understand that Mr. James Schumacher, formerly partnered with Mike Marino of FCD Realty and Development (FCD), is now working with you on this project.

Mr. Schumacher might have already apprised you of the fact that you are facing an extremely hostile community with regard to this project as currently proposed.  This hostility has been generated by FCD's disregard for the needs and desires of the vast majority of Eagle Rock community members and by its contempt for the cherished purposes and objectives of our hard won and long established land-use laws.  A good number of letters have been written by community members to Walgreens, to us, to FCD, to our Council representative, and to our Planning Department in protest of this proposal.  Also, on two occasions, posters deriding our Council member and this proposal have been placed anonymously in numerous highly visible locations around our town.

In addition, community volunteers have gathered over 2,000 signatures on petitions in support of restoring and adaptively reusing the existing building, which is what both the Northeast Community Plan and the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan strongly support (we will forward these petitions to you).  Mr. Marino, in the presence of Mr. Schumacher, stated to us that the existing building can indeed be restored.  We know for a fact that Walgreens has restored and occupied a variety of historic and/or community-significant buildings in a number of locations throughout the nation, and the Eagle Rock community deserves this same consideration.  The current proposal would leave a gaping hole in our streetscape, not to mention destroy a beloved historic structure that our community clearly wants to preserve.

Eagle Rock citizens have always been very willing to work with developers in order to achieve truly quality development in our community.  Seven years ago, when McDonald's wanted to build a store in violation of our laws, we were successful in encouraging them to move to a better location and vastly improve the building's design.  When they insisted a pole sign was necessary for their business (although they have built monument signs at numerous other locations), we adamantly refused to support it, and they installed an attractive monument sign instead.  It became and is a very successful business.  When Blockbuster Video threatened to pull out of their project if the community did not approve installation of a pole sign (also in violation of our laws, and another corporate giant which has installed monument signs in other locations), we held our ground in opposition, and Blockbuster completed the project without the pole sign.  Eagle Rock's Blockbuster is now one of the most profitable in all of Los Angeles.

We have successfully worked with various other developers on local housing projects, in particular a senior housing project soon to break ground.  The developer was very willing to work with the community, and the result is a far better proposal.  In fact, the developer is so proud of the project he feels it will win an architectural design award when completed.  We worked to restore and adaptively reuse the beautiful 1920s Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) building that, had we not intervened, would have quickly been on the road to becoming slum housing.  It is now beautifully restored and home to the Greater Los Angeles Council on Deafness.  We worked with the developers of a Sav-On store currently being constructed here, and we turned a proposed ugly white box with forgettable landscaping into a far more attractive structure with a far better and more extensive landscape plan.  The list continues.

We strongly believe that working together is the key to success for all involved.  This way, all parties come away with something positive.  We well recognize that development is part of our future -- after all, we are the ones who live here, and any development in our town therefore affects our quality of life and is of great interest to us.  We invite you to work with us on this proposal so that it, too, can be beneficial to both you and to our community.

I understand you will be presenting your current plans at the Design Review Board meeting on August 22.  I look forward to meeting you then.  In the meantime, feel free to contact me via e.mail so we can discuss this.  Thanks very much.

Sincerely --

Joanne Turner


8.  PARKING A REAL PROBLEM FOR FUTURE GOLD LINE PASSENGERS -- SEPTEMBER 5

There will be a meeting to discuss parking problems resulting from the upcoming Gold Line portion of LA's growing light rail public transportation system.  Please come to the Gold Line Open House, Thursday, September 5th, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, NELA Community Info Center, 3571 Pasadena Avenue, (at French Street).  The following exchange regarding parking would be of interest to those in Northeast Los Angeles who plan to use the Gold Line:


Dear Friends, Neighbors and Listmembers:

I'm responding to Cara Garcia, who wrote to the NELAlist today saying,

"Can someone tell me what parking will be like at the Southwest Museum Gold Line Station?  Where exactly will it be?  Will it be guarded?  Has there been any discussion of carpools groups from Mt. Washington to the station?

Thanks,
Cara Garcia"

~~~~~~~

Dear Cara:

I brought this up (as did others) at the '2nd Neighborhood Linkages Meeting,' which was sponsored this past Saturday by Ed Reyes' office at the Lincoln Heights Boys and Girls Club.

My feeling is that once again the planning for both parking cars and for moving people TO and FROM the Gold Line stations is ill-defined at best, but probably can be described at this point as woefully inadequate.

Residents of Lincoln Heights, Cypress Park, Mount Washington, Montecito Heights, Highland Park, Monterey Hills and Hermon [and Eagle Rock], all of which could be big 'customers' for mass transit, will either want to drive to a station and leave their cars or will, at the very least, need significant and regularly running DASH service along our major arteries and some of the main tributaries that feed them.

If the City is really serious about getting us to actually use these rapid transit systems then its going to be necessary to provide a couple of things:

1) substantially more secure parking at ALL the currently planned Gold Line stops in our area, and

2) reliable 'DASH-like' bus / van service to and from the communities which will feed the Gold Line

Being from the New York area I can tell you that the reason commuter trains work so well back East is because residents, who otherwise would have to use automobiles to get into the City, 'park and ride' every day.  There are hundreds and hundreds of parking places available at ALL the train stations in upstate New York, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Further, anyone can add to the following list, but it seems clear that at a minimum the following should be served with a cheap, reliable, regular and efficient DASH bus/van system:

a) Broadway, Ave 26, Griffin Ave and Pasadena Ave in Lincoln Heights

b) Cypress Avenue, San Fernando Road, Isabel Street in Cypress Park

c) Ave 37, Mt. Washington Drive and San Rafael Avenue in Mount Washington

d) Griffin Avenue (again), and Montecito Drive in Montecito Heights

e) Ave 50, Ave 54, and York Blvd in Highland Park

f) Monterey Road (feeding Ave 60 and York) in the Monterey Hill and Hermon areas

I have noticed a significant shortsightedness on behalf of urban project planners to consider the actual needs of the Northeast in the areas of both providing enough parking and meaningful transit solutions.

That's because they live elsewhere, in suburbia, where it's not an issue, or because they have designated parking spaces provided for them at work.

Yours in service,

Bill Murray

PS: There's an Open House for the Gold Line coming up.  The meeting will take place at the Northeast LA Community Information Center, near where the new French Street station will be located.  The plans for all the stations will be available for viewing, and we're invited to learn about the upcoming construction activity (bet there won't be enough parking).

Here's the time and place:

Gold Line Open House
Thursday, September 5th
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
NELA Community Info Center
3571 Pasadena Avenue
(at French Street)

Come ... express your concerns ...


[Editor's note:  Gee . . . lack of parking . . . sounds kind of like the debacle called the Yosemite gym, which is being built as we speak (picnic and green space, and giant sycamore trees removed, with NO additional parking in an already tightly packed neighborhood, already with parking problems, and right next to Eagle Rock High School), with almost NO community input.]


9.  WOMEN'S WORK ART EXHIBIT -- CALL FOR ENTRIES -- DEALINE SEPTEMBER 12

2nd Annual Juried Exhibit
sponsored by Women in Design Los Angeles,
The Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center,
& Gallery Ophelia
  
Introduction:

Women in Design Los Angeles is proud to present it's second annual juried art exhibition "Women's Work". This year, the event will be jointly hosted by Gallery Ophelia & The Eagle Rock Community Cultural Center. Both have beautiful exhibition spaces, within a block of each other,  in Eagle Rock.

This show was conceived as a forum for women working as artists and designers in Los Angeles to show their works together, to generate a dialog about women and work, and to give women an outlet to voice their creative passions. Through painting, collage, assemblage, photography, installation and sculpture, Women's Work is a show about the multi-dimensional lives women lead.

On the next page you will find the Show Prospectus information. Thank you for your interest in "Women's Work", and we look
forward to receiving your submission.

Show Calendar:
Submission deadline.........Sept 12th, 2002
Artist notification........... Sept 17th, 2002
Art drop off.....................Sept 27th, 2002 5-8pm
Show dates.....................Oct 2nd - 31st
Reception date.................October 5th (time to be announced)
                                            (receptions at both the ERCCC & Gallery Ophelia - walking distance from one another.)
Art pick up....................Nov 1st, 2002 6-8pm

The ERCCC and Gallery Ophelia receive a 35% commission on all artwork that is sold.
  
Eligibility & Media:
Open artists of all ages working in painting, collage & assemblage, photography, sculpture and installation. Sculpture must be accompanied by own pedestal.

All artwork must be for sale. Art in private collections will not be accepted.

Entry Fee:(entry fee is non-refundable)

a..  $8 each slide
b..  3 slides for $20
Please make checks payable to "Gallery Ophelia".
Jurors:
To be announced September 1st, 2002.

Submission Requirements:

a.. All entries must include a submission form and slides or professional quality photographic prints .
a.. Slides and photos should be marked clearly with name, title, medium and slide orientation direction.

Liability, Shipping & Handling:
All slides and entries will be handled with the utmost care.

-      2D work must arrive clearly labeled and ready for hanging
-     Transportation and delivery of the artwork is the responsibility of the artist.
-     Gallery Ophelia and ERCCC has limited  liability,
       (but both have safe exhibition environments, equipt with fire/alarm systems).
-      Artist must pick up artwork from gallery at the end of show on pick-up date or within
       15 days of show's closing (or it becomes property of the Gallery).
  
Submission Form:
Application deadline: Sept 12th, 2002
Entries must be postmarked by the above date.

Name.
Address.

tel.
fax.
email.

No. of slides
Amount enclosed $

SUBMISSIONS. Please zerox for more entries
1)Title
   Medium
   Size
   Price

2)Title
   Medium
   Size
   Price

3)Title
   Medium
   Size
   Price

Please check one:
o Keep slides on file for future reference.
o Return slides in the SASE provided.

By submitting this application, artists, indicate that they have read the application in its entirety, and agree to follow all instructions, rules and regulations set forth herein.

SIGNATURE
DATE
  
Please submit form to :
Gallery Ophelia, Candace Allen
2114 Colorado Boulevard
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
323.982.9945
http://www.galleryophelia.com

Gallery Ophelia Hours:
Weds - Saturday 12-6pm or by appointment


10.  TERA'S WEB SITE -- HTTP://WWW.TERA90041.ORG

We are pleased to report that we've had well over 12,400 visits to TERA's Web site.  Please become one of those interested folks and visit http://www.TERA90041.org.  See what we're all about!  Better yet, become a member!  Your membership means added strength to our cause, which is increased quality of life for all of Eagle Rock.


11.  JAZZ AT COLOMBO'S -- CORRECTION

The Eric Ekstrand Trio will play every SUNDAY afternoon, not every afternoon.


12.  OUR CONDOLENCES TO PEGGY CAIRNS

Another of Eagle Rock Elementary School's teachers lost her husband this summer.  Peggy Cairns's husband would have walked their daughter down the aisle about 10 days after he died.  Our sympathy to Peggy and her family.


13.  LETTERS AND E.MAILS

"Thanks very much for the e.letter.  I love it."

-- Susan Dreger, recent home buyer in Eagle Rock


"Look forward to meeting you sometime, Joanne -- I've been helping Liz Wagner with the membership mailings (renewals) after contacting Suzanne Prieur following the most recent home tour and expressing my interest in TERA.  Actually Suzanne recently phoned us regarding the upcoming bungalow book . . . maybe our little1921 Craftsman will be included!  My husband Tom and I have lived in the area less than a year, but love it thus far.  And TERA is a terrific organization for the community!"

-- Rachel Singer, new Eagle Rock resident and TERA volunteer


"Thanks for all your hard work.  I love reading the e.letter."

-- Sharron Enriquez, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member


"Thanks for all your hard work for Eagle Rock."

-- Anne Whelan Riney, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member


14.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Another element in the drive to encourage human movement by means other than the automobile is the interconnection of uses.  Based on the foolishness of post-World War II planning and development patterns, uses have been sharply separated.  Historic neighborhoods were built from the beginning with a mix of uses in close proximity.  Cities with the foresight to readjust their zoning ordinances to encourage integration of uses are seeing that interconnectivity reemerging in historic areas.  That's smart growth."

-- Donovan Rypkema


We welcome your comments.  Please include your name.


Joanne Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>
President, The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)