Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles

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Coordinates: 34°02′18″N 118°30′53″W / 34.0383°N 118.5148°W / 34.0383; -118.5148
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

34°02′18″N 118°30′53″W / 34.0383°N 118.5148°W / 34.0383; -118.5148

Rustic Canyon is a residential neighborhood and

Los Angeles, California. It is along Rustic Creek, in the Santa Monica Mountains.[1]

Geography

Rustic Creek

The residential neighborhood is bordered approximately by

Brentwood neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and the Santa Monica Canyon neighborhood of Santa Monica. It is distinctly isolated by its canyon geography and narrow streets. The canyon and creek, with less development, run north of Sunset Boulevard past Will Rogers State Historic Park, and into natural habitat within Topanga State Park
.

Rustic Canyon and Santa Monica Canyon are the southernmost of a series of coast-facing canyons which cut into the

ornamental trees
.

The narrow canyon has a cooler and slightly more humid microclimate than most other areas of Los Angeles. Coastal fog is common throughout the year, winter lows rarely drop below 35 °F, and summer highs rarely exceed 80 °F. Due to its humid climate and the surrounding dense suburban development, the canyon is less threatened by wildfires than other communities within and adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains.

The properties in the canyon are within the 90272 ZIP Code of Pacific Palisades or the 90402 of Santa Monica, though all are within the City of Los Angeles.

History

The original inhabitants of the area were the indigenous

Portola expedition of 1769. The expedition sought to follow the coastline, but were stopped by the coastal cliffs of the Santa Monica Mountains. The next day they turned around and went inland, finding a way north through Sepulveda Canyon.[2]

Under Mexican rule, the land between

Rancho Boca de Santa Monica. It was used for grazing and firewood by the prominent Marquez, Reyes, and Sepúlveda families. During the latter 19th-century, the canyon was known as a camping area and rustic retreat near the beach hotels and resorts of nearby Santa Monica.[3]

Venice Beach to the south, established an experimental forestry station and planted eucalyptus trees in the lower canyon, which still remain. In the late 19th century, the mouth of the canyon was considered as a site for the Port of Los Angeles, however San Pedro Bay
was used.

Uplifters

Main article: The Uplifters (club)
Rustic Canyon Recreation Center, formerly the Uplifters Clubhouse

During the early 20th century, the Uplifters, an offshoot of the prominent

Prohibition era, the Uplifters was known as a high-class drinking club, of which many prominent local politicians and wealthy residents of the city were members. The relative isolation of the area provided an ideal retreat for the wealthy and powerful members of the club, who lived primarily in the upscale areas (of the time) near downtown and in Pasadena
to indulge their appetites without undue notice.

A sign reading "Uplifters Ranch" hangs over Latimer Road near the former Uplifters clubhouse, which was designed by the architect William J. Dodd. Following the Depression the club began to sell off properties in the area, and disbanded in 1947. The clubhouse and adjacent recreational elements, including a swimming pool, baseball diamond, and tennis courts, were donated to the city in the early 1950s. They are now within the Rustic Canyon Recreation Center city park.[4]

Police service

Los Angeles Police Department operates the West Los Angeles Community Police Station at 1663 Butler Avenue, 90025, which serves the neighborhood.[5]

Real estate

The neighborhood is composed almost entirely of single-family homes, and is without commercial development. The nearest commercial buildings are in lower Santa Monica Canyon at Pacific Coast Highway, and consist of several shops, bars, restaurants, and a gas station.

Residences

Residences designed by Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Craig Ellwood, Ray Kappe, Moore Ruble Yudell, Marmol Radziner and other prominent architects are located in the canyon.[6][7]

Development conflicts

Rustic Canyon has long been a site of conflict between real estate developers and local residents. Local legends from the 1930s tell of residents staging displays of chasing each other with kitchen knives down the street to scare away real-estate agents. In more recent times, such conflicts have resulted in long legal battles. The wealthy and prominent residents of the neighborhood have demonstrated both the budget and access to the legal system necessary to block unwanted developments.

During the 1980s Steve Tisch, a film producer and Loews Hotels heir, fought a five-year battle against local residents for expanding his large property to include a public city street, and eventually lost the case.

Setback encroachment

Beginning in 2001, a long-running and complicated legal battle in the canyon at Brooktree and Greentree Roads has questioned a 14 feet (4.3 m) setback encroachment by the owners, raised allegations of corruption within the city of Los Angeles' Building and Safety Department, and as of 2013 remained unresolved.[8][9] The owners had erroneously calculated the required front yard setback.[8] If a final ruling is ever reached enforcing the setback, the addition's encroachment would need demolition and removal.[10] In September 2007 a judge ruled that the new addition to the Beglari residence was 14 feet (4.3 m) over the setback requirement and closer to the Greentree Road than permitted by the Los Angeles Municipal Code's zoning law.[8] Even though judges have ruled: the use of invalid building permits for the nonconforming addition; and a post-construction occupancy permit being improperly granted; the owners have fought to maintain their non-compliant house for over 12 years.[11][12] Still without definitive resolution or demolition, another unsuccessful appeal was filed by the owners in 2013.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rustic Creek". inthecanyon.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Bolton, Herbert E. (1927). Fray Juan Crespi: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769-1774. HathiTrust Digital Library. pp. 149–150.
  3. ^ "Inthecanyon.com: "History Of The Canyon"".
  4. ^ City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks: Rustic Canyon Recreation Center — 601 Latimer Road, Santa Monica, CA 90402.
  5. ^ "West LA Community Police Station - Los Angeles Police Department". www.lapdonline.org.
  6. ISBN 1-58685-308-2
  7. ^ David, Mark. "Riot Games' Marc Merrill to Sell Santa Monica Property (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d "BEGLARI v. CITY OF LOS AN - No. B238950. - 20130508028 - Leagle.com".
  9. ^ Alyson Sena, "Neighborhood Legal Action Finally Brings Results In Setback Dispute" (909 Greentree Road), Palisadian Post, January 13, 2005
  10. ^ "Home - Palisadian Post". Palisadian Post.
  11. ^ "Los Angeles Department of City Planning".
  12. ^ Danielle Gillespie, "Beglaris Appeal Yet Another Legal Decision", Palisadian Post, July 2, 2009

External links

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