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Altadena Hillside Ordinance Committee
Information about the Altadena Hillside Ordinance draft currently under LA County Planning Committee review.
A meeting is scheduled for 9AM at the Altadena Community Center with Mitch Glaser of the LA County Planning Committee to discuss the second review of the draft document on November 29, 2008.
The new ridge maps for the meeting can be found under the "Images & Maps" link in the left sidebar.
The latest draft of the Ordinance for the meeting can be found under the "Documents" link in the left sidebar.
Altadena, CA is at the foot of the San Gabriel range, 15 miles north of Los Angeles.
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Michele Zack Altadena has at its immediate back door the San Gabriel Mountains. Young (in geological time), rambunctious, and among North America's steepest mountains, they also contain the oldest rocks on the west coast of America. John McPhee writes in Los Angeles Against the Mountains that every year roughly seven tons of rock, soil, and decomposing granite wash down from every acre off slopes averaging 65 to 70 percent grade. But the San Gabriels are a transverse range that is rising even faster than it can disintegrate because it sits atop two tectonic plates grinding against each other in opposite directions. These mountains are transected by faults, prone to debris flow, flood and fire, and frequently remind the community below of nature's force and grandeur. From base to summit they are 3,000 feet higher than the Rockies, and their rise from the foothills of Altadena is startingly abrupt. Because of their cultural and physical importance to our community, it is desirable both to preserve pristine views of this unique backdrop, as well as to respect the challenges to public safety and services that building in such steep and unstable territory present. Our purpose in formulating a hillside ordinance is to balance the needs and interests of those owning property in the foothills with the larger public good, as well as to preserve values of existing homes and property. As real estate prices rise and engineering techniques improve, it has become economically feasible to put houses on hillsides formerly considered unbuildable. By providing guidelines that minimize visual and environmental impacts, we hope to encourage good architecture, prudent land use, and the building of new homes that enhance and respect the community of Altadena and all who enjoy lifting their eyes to the San Gabriel Mountains and foothills. |
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Updated November 15, 2008.