Mailbag - June 21, 2002 - Los Angeles Times

June 21, 2002 12 AM PT

On behalf of the Hobo & Aliso Canyons Neighborhood Assn. and the Save

Hobo Aliso Ridge Task Force of the Sierra Club, we would like to address

Morris Skenderian’s comments in his letter of June 14 to the Coastline

editor (“Think opportunity, not fantasy”).

In early January of this year, a meeting was held with Highpointe

Communities Land Development and Morris and Todd Skenderian to address

Sierra Club concerns over the development of the Esslinger Family Trust

property. The entire property was the issue, not just a portion of the

property. The developer advised us Sierra Club members that, in fact, a

portion of the land would be dedicated. This came as quite a surprise as

this had never been mentioned publicly or put in writing.

Following that meeting, a letter was sent from the Sierra Club to

Steve Vliss of Highpointe Communities Land Development on Jan. 8

requesting that his “commitment” be put in writing. After receiving no

response, a second letter with the same request was sent on Jan. 28.

Simultaneously, a letter was sent to the Esslinger Family Trust

requesting a meeting with the landowner’s fiduciary agent to discuss the

purchase of the land for open space.

This is the “actual” sequence of events, and all letters previously

mentioned are available on file at the city’s planning desk in the

Driftwood Estates file. The Sierra Club has always been interested in

making sure the public was aware of this offer of dedication, even if it

was not the entire acreage as had been requested.

In his June 14 letter, Skenderian chooses to ignore the fact and

empirical data supplied by the city of Laguna Beach staff in their May 8,

2002 decision to limit any development of the Esslinger property to seven

homes.

No development would be allowed on the critical habitat or watercourse

areas or on the steep slopes adjacent to the Laguna Terrace Mobilehome

Park. This decision is a result of a diligent effort by city staff to

balance community health and safety concerns and quality of life issues

with the Esslinger’s rights as property owners.

Unfortunately, the decision that is best for the community does not

coincide with Skenderian’s personal profit speculation, and this is the

basis of his bitter attack on Penny Elia and other residents, the Sierra

Club and, seemingly, anyone else who opposes his Driftwood Estates

project.

Skenderian is incorrect in his statement that “to my knowledge no one,

including Elia, had expressed any interest in purchasing the property.”

On March 20, 1990, the City Council adopted a resolution to acquire the

235-acre Esslinger Trust property by power of eminent domain. The staff

was directed to negotiate “in a vigorous fashion” with the trust and $1

million was set aside for land purchases outside of Laguna Canyon,

including the Esslinger property.

As a 30-year resident of Laguna Beach and self-styled visionary, it is

curious that he is unaware of prior attempts to purchase this property.

Perhaps Skenderian should become more familiar with those “neighborhood

associations . . . hastily formed in order to stop ‘those greedy

developers.”’ He might then learn the long history of this property,

including the past unsuccessful attempts to develop it over the last

35-plus years.

We take great offense at Skenderian’s self-portrayal as one who “was

asked to participate in the project . . . to correct a blighted condition

. . . [and] develop a small portion of the property and donate the

remainder to the city.”

Neither he nor the developer, Highpointe Communities Land Development,

had ever agreed, in writing, to dedicate any portion of the land to the

city of Laguna Beach until Monday, June 3, 2002 when Todd Skenderian

included a short, unsigned, informal memo in a filing to the city’s

planning department.

Skenderian attempts to dangle an offer of free open space over the

heads of residents as if he was holding a piece of candy just out of the

reach of a small child. The promise of a free park at Treasure Island has

made all of us realize that a developer’s promises of a win-win deal does

not necessarily include the community as one of the winners.

Skenderian’s original “vision” of Driftwood Estates would dump a vague

collection of 18 estate-size homes on endangered habitat, force the city

to seize 50 feet from adjacent homeowners’ properties to build a road,

pave a watercourse and direct storm runoff into a narrow canyon filled

with existing homes.

His “vision” is to grade out over 30,000 cubic yards of soil,

transport 2,000 truckloads of fill through narrow, residential streets

and run double-trailer dirt-hauling trucks through the Albertson’s

Shopping Center. Skenderian’s plan does not correct blight, it would

create it.

The Sierra Club and the Hobo & Aliso Canyons Neighborhood Assn.

continue to wait for a “willing seller.” Our “vision” is open space.

We don’t agree with Skenderian’s viewpoint that this involves

compromise. The only compromise is to the land -- it has been compromised

for decades.

Now is the time to restore this land to its natural beauty and

preserve it as open space -- no more grading, no more chemical

defoliation and destruction of natural resources.

The Esslinger Family Trust property can be acquired outright as open

space. It is a beautiful property that is visible to anyone who travels

through Laguna on Coast Highway and is a perfect backdrop to the new

hotel at Treasure Island. The entire parcel deserves to become permanent

open space.

Let’s not make any more compromises, Skenderian.

BETSY BREDAU, vice president, Hobo & Aliso Canyons Neighborhood Assn.

CURT AND JANET BARTSCH

MARIA BOLDING

PAUL FLORANCE

DON AND SHARRY JONES

BILL AND SHARON LARIMER

GAIL PROTHERO, conservation chair, Sierra Sage Angeles Chapter/Orange

County

CLAIRE ROBINSON

Laguna Beach

The fantasy is the developer’s

According to Morris Skenderian’s letter (“Think opportunity, not

fantasy,” June 14), the city staff, Penny Elia, the Hobo & Aliso Canyons

Neighborhood Assn. and anyone else who opposes the proposed Driftwood

Estates is in some kind of fantasy.

The opportunity on the other hand, as the architect sees it, is for us

to fall for the old “bait and switch” routine. That is to allow a

development that is not wanted or needed and is unsound in exchange for

open space.

But wait, as we expected, there is a catch. Nearly 10 acres of that open space (actually zoned residential/hillside protection) that has

potential access off Loretta Drive will be represented with a lot line

adjustment at a later date. Look out Arch Beach Heights, the next

subdivision may be coming your way.

The fantasy here belongs entirely to Skenderian. Take some of his

figures. He said that only six of the entire 228 acres (minus the nearly

10 acres off Loretta Drive) are being considered under the development

proposal. The staff report states that the subdivision includes 15

single-family lots consisting of 10.6 acres. He also states that the

project is 3% of the entire property (207.9 acres are currently zoned

open space). The more important figure to look at is that the proposed

subdivision represents an approximate 20% increase to our small enclave

neighborhood.

He goes on to reason that because the property supports “hundreds of

sandbags, exposed pipes, chain link fences, uncertified fill slopes,

overhead power lines, erosion and flooding of the existing homes below,”

it should be able to support his subdivision. Good developer reasoning, I

guess. And I guess this also means that illegally graded land, defoliated

of its highly sensitive habitat, used as a dumping ground and allowed to

continue to be a hazard to surrounding homes is the perfect candidate for

development. Besides setting a bad precedent, we think that this property

is the perfect candidate to clean up, to treat with respect, to be

restored and revegetated to its natural state and preserved for

generations to come. But that is our fantasy.

He then says that neither Penny Elia nor anyone else in the

neighborhood made any attempts to purchase, correct or improve the

situation and that our interest in the property was only “perked” when

the current developer came along. This is blatantly wrong and insulting.

We backed the city’s attempt to purchase the property in 1990. We are the ones who tried to stop the trucks in the middle of the night as they took

their loads of garbage up the hill to dump. We are the ones who have been

vigilant in ridding the property of people who have exposed the land to

fire hazard and abuse. We are the ones digging trenches and filling

sandbags to try and stop flooding from coming down into our homes. We

have not been interested? Not only have we been interested but we have

been fully informed and supportive of the dialogue with groups interested

in the purchase of this property.

Letters as to our intent have been on file with the city and have been

discussed at many meetings. This is no secret.

What we are not interested in is this developer’s vision for this land

and apparently neither is the city staff. Currently the findings

necessary to grant variances cannot be made and the proposed design of

the subdivision is inconsistent with some policies in the city’s open

space/conservation element of the general plan.

Apparently, though, this developer plans to continue to pursue his

vision and his profit opportunity.

Our neighborhood association and other groups will not go away during

or after this battle. We have a lot of work to do. Part of that work is

preserving as much open space in Laguna as possible. We may see the

opportunities and the fantasies of this particular project very

differently from how this developer sees it. But one thing is true for us

-- and this is based on fact, not fantasy -- that there is a wonderful

opportunity for this property, for the neighborhood and for the city, and

Driftwood Estates is not it.

TERRY SEHI

Laguna Beach

Think quality, not opportunity

Morris Skenderian would like the residents of Laguna to believe that

he is doing us a favor. His graciousness is similar to cutting off your

arms and telling you to be glad you have your legs, because someone else

might have cut them all off.

Skenderian would like us to believe that we are missing the

opportunity of a lifetime in not appreciating the wonderful offer he is

making us. Well, one might consider the flip side to that thinking.

I think many builders would consider themselves quite lucky to have

the opportunity to build in our little town. And even luckier that we

don’t already have a building moratorium prohibiting all building until

our vision process is in place. Or that it is not 10 years from now, when

the price tag to handle watershed issues would cost more than your profit

margin. So what opportunities does this proposal offer? Lets take a

closer look.

We get noise, people, pollution, buildings, traffic congestion,

increased municipal costs not offset by property taxes and we lose our

serenity, habitat, identity, character, heritage and view. Sounds like a

real bargain -- not!

You see, Skenderian, we value the quality of solitude when fewer

people are around.

We value watching nature in motion, which means leaving it in its wild

state, from which it establishes its balance.

We value the diversity in which nature has helped to contributed to

our culture and shape our heritage.

These are not tangible or monetary things. I don’t really expect you

to understand this. Penny Elia may have myopia from watching nature for

too long, which I would prefer to Skenderian’s dubious, double, dollar

diplopia any time.

Elia has spent a great deal of her personal time and expenses in her

efforts to keep our neighborhood intact. They have not gone unnoticed.

Her integrity and perseverance makes her a role model for our community

that others can only aspire to.

SHARON PAGET

Laguna Beach

An opportunity that presents itself

Me thinks the architect doth protest too much.

“Follow the money,” as the whistle blower uttered in the movie “All

The Presidents Men.”

The remarks by Driftwood Estates subdivision architect Morris

Skenderian (“Think opportunity, not fantasy,” June 14) are certainly

about founding fathers -- as in “dead presidents” -- a slang term for big

bucks.

His repeated use of Penny Elia’s name, chair of the Hobo & Aliso

Canyons Neighborhood Assn., was shortened to “Elia” in a denigrating

diatribe of self-serving propaganda. He seems to have intentionally

dishonored her leadership stature for her group, as well as her

acknowledged Sierra Club status.

“Qui bono?” (who profits) is the mantra of detectives everywhere.

Skenderian’s motive: financial gain through this highly speculative land

deal, ala “Show me the money.” His modus operandi? Pretend it’s for the

betterment of the neighborhood and the city. Phony community spirit is

now a last refuge.

How unrealistic to be outraged when residents express concern. He has

zero tolerance for dissent, as counter-intuitive and exclusionary as one

can get.

Did he think that Laguna preservationists and the Sierra Club would

idly stand by while a developer plowed under even one square foot of

sensitive habitat? The opportunity he cites is really the chance for him,

his firm and his out-of-town client, Highpointe Communities Land

Development, to continue to rake in gross sums of revenue and prestige.

He did it at Treasure Island and he’s trying to do it at Driftwood

Estates. Judas Iscariot received 13 pieces of silver to betray Jesus, so

how much are you getting? You should have entitled your letter: “Think my

bank account, not reality.”

DANIEL CORRENTI ELIA

Laguna Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: It is the Coastline Pilot’s policy not to use

courtesy titles.

Put promise in writing

Morris Skenderian, architect and developer of the proposed Hobo Aliso

Ridge development on the hill over Treasure Island, says that the

developer promises to pave over only 3% of the 228 acres. He will “put it

in writing at the appropriate time.” He promised six months ago and so

far we have seen nothing.

As chairman of the 58,000 member Los Angeles/Orange County chapter of

the Sierra Club, I have seen many developers make promises to preserve

open space. Ten years ago the Rancho Mission Viejo Company told us they

would preserve endangered coastal sage scrub habitat. Now they want to

develop the area.

Most businessmen are men of their word. It is an important business

practice to have reputation for honesty. With a few notable exceptions, I

have not found this true of real estate developers.

Put it in writing. We will talk.

GORDON LABEDZ

Chairman, Angeles Chapter Sierra Club

Big thumbs up to Web site

Yes, I will absolutely give the city’s new Web site a chance.

I am happy to know the information posted will pertain to the

residents of Laguna Beach. It’s important to be aware of our city’s

spending and the direction Laguna Beach is heading.

LARA STIPANICH

Laguna Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The Laguna Beach Web site can be found at

https://4.18.61.11/.

Serpentine rock not necessarily distant

Regarding your article on the Gwindingwi Gallery (“Set in stone,” June

14). The sculpture is magnificent and I encourage everyone to visit the

gallery.

There is one thing, however, that should be corrected. Co-owner Donnie

Wise states that serpentine (the stone from which many of the sculptures

are produced) is found exclusively in Zimbabwe. Such a statement is also

posted in the gallery. Serpentine, also known by the mineral name

serpentinite, is found other places in the world. In fact, it is common

in California and has been designated the state rock.

ALLAN SCHOENHERR

Laguna Beach

A time before the tower

The dedication of the refurbished Main Beach lifeguard tower brings to

mind memories of the area before the creation of Main Beach Park.

In the summer of 1951, the bowling alley, located where the basketball

court is now, was available to make “pin money,” which I took advantage

of.

I loved the fun times on Sunday afternoons at the Barefoot, which was

on the board walk adjacent to the tower and featured the “legendary”

local Joe Albany with his drummer Ed Clark to compliment his lyrical jazz

piano improvisations.

Then came the clean up and the Main Beach Park with its “window to the

sea.” While the Life Guard Tower is being dedicated, I celebrate and

remember the old Main Beach. Here’s to an earlier, perhaps better time in

our beautiful Laguna.

ANDY WING

Laguna Beach

Ever rising Treasure Island price tag

The cost of the public park at Treasure Island has gone up once again.

On May 7, the council passed a motion, on a 4 to 1 vote, including “that

a cap will be placed on the City’s obligation to Athens of $8.4 million.”

It was generally believed that placing a cap on the city’s obligations

was a very good idea, although many think that the limit should have been

Mailbag - June 21, 2002

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