Paul Clinton
LOS ANGELES -- A proposal to add concerts, swap meets, BMX racing
and other nonequestrian events at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center is
drawing criticism in Glendale and Burbank neighborhoods surrounding the
complex.
"To bring in BMX and dog shows and RV shows, to me, they've crossed
the line," said Joanne Hedge, president of the Glendale Rancho Homeowners
Assn. "People don't buy houses (in those neighborhoods) to have that kind
of commercial use."
Hedge's objections were in response to a proposal by LAEC Inc., the
concessionaire that schedules events at the center, to bring in events
that could draw up to 10,000 people. Under the proposal, the
nonequestrian events could begin later this year.
LAEC Inc. applied to Los Angeles' Recreation and Parks department,
which oversees the 72-acre Griffith Park equestrian center. The city of
Los Angeles owns the land.
Burbank officials have vowed to defeat the proposal, which they said
could lead to significant increases in traffic and noise in Rancho
neighborhoods.
"All we can do is lobby against it and do everything in our power to
see that it doesn't happen," Burbank Vice Mayor Bob Kramer said. "We feel
that those events aren't in the city's best interest."
In Glendale, Planning Director John McKenna said the city will send a
letter to the Los Angeles parks department questioning a report that said
the plan would not significantly effect the environment in the area. He
said there are concerns about the use being compatible with the
neighborhood and the problem of dust caused by using a dirt parking lot.
There might also be an impact on traffic, he said.
Rancho homeowners said the proposal, which calls for a 10 p.m. curfew,
fails to address potential parking snarls the new events could cause. The
center has 3,000 parking spaces on site.
"It looks like they're going to be parking people on residential
streets," said Doug Carlson, chairman of the Rancho Providencia community
advisory committee. "And that is not appropriate."
Kramer recently met with Carlson and other Rancho homeowners to hear
their concerns. Various Burbank city departments are studying how the
proposal would affect the city and officials plan to respond to Los
Angeles by the end of the week.
The Los Angeles Recreation and Parks recently released a report, known
as a "negative declaration," that analyzes the proposal's traffic and
parking impacts in the Rancho area. Under the state's environmental
review laws, Burbank and Glendale must submit its responses to the study
by July 10, the end of the 30-day period after the report was first
released.
Kramer said the study was inadequate.
"We believe their study is flawed and doesn't address our concerns,"
Kramer said.
BUCK WARGO assisted in this story.
