TheFoothillsForum

This thread is devoted to articles, letters to the editor, commentaries and editorials that appear in the press. They are not in chronological order. I'm starting off with the editorial that the Glendale News-Press published at the end of April.

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EDITORIAL: Saving golf course is the right thing to do
In a time of increasing demand for recreation space, the Verdugo Hills Golf Course is a jewel.

Appeared April 28, 2007

It's not hard to understand why the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee, which formed with the purpose of saving the course, is interested in getting the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale, Los Angeles County and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to buy and preserve it.

This is not a bad idea — and it could just work — but the committee needs to go a step further and start fundraising for this course that so many hold dear.

There's no guarantee that these agencies will pitch in. For one thing, because the course lies outside of the city's limits, Glendale would have to find that it benefits from the course.

In other words, an overwhelming number of residents would have to tell city leaders that it is a priority they want their tax dollars spent on.

Just as Crescenta Valley residents have come together to raise money to save the area's Fourth of July fireworks show in La Crescenta, the committee could also start raising money and tapping sources of funds.

Many community members have voiced strong opinions that the course should be saved instead of becoming a multi-unit housing complex. And that's a good place to start when talking about raising funds.

The course is a symbol of the area's history. It's been a gathering place for residents of the Crescenta Valley for generations.

Children grew up playing there. Local groups hold camps and fundraising events there.

And the history of the site is sprinkled with stories — for instance, it was once a depot for Japanese internees during World War II.

We realize sentimental value doesn't always add up when the bottom line is at stake. MWH Development Corp. made a substantial investment four years ago when it paid $7.6 million for the site.

Their plan for the 63-acre site — 269 condo units, 46 acres of preserved space and a nine-hole golf course — is an attempt to get a return on that purchase.

But does the Crescenta Valley need another condominium complex, one that would take the place of a revered community gathering spot?

We believe that it doesn't — not at the expense of a beloved, affordable golf course.

Efforts to turn the site into a residential complex should be heavily weighed against the value this course has for the community — particularly at a time when new condominium projects are sprouting up everywhere in a cooling real estate market.

In that sense, the committee's efforts to save the course by buying it couldn't be more timely and feasible.

Four years ago, when MWH Development Corp. purchased the site, the region was in the midst of climbing housing demand. But now, with the market cooling off, the course's community value has a chance to outshine its value as housing.

That makes the committee's idea of pooling together resources from the cities, county and the conservancy to buy the course a good one at a good time.

A public golf course, accessible to users from Tujunga, La Crescenta and Glendale, which is already revered as a community hub, is a resource.

It could remain as a lasting bastion of areas dedicated to being a public place to bring together residents of L.A., Glendale and La Crescenta.

Glendale could be a key player in saving the course with its own money and lobbying power, if enough people express an interest in preserving it.

We hope that interest is there — it could be pivotal in saving a jewel.

Crescenta Valley Sun

"New Effort to Save Golf Course"
By Charles Cooper
Published Friday, April 6, 2007

A number of foothill residents have formed a committee to work with LA City Councilwoman Wendy Gruel in an effort to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, which is threatened with development.

The 18-hole course in Tujunga has been a resource for local golfers for more than 50 years. It is now owned by MWH Development, which has outlined plans for a condominium complex on the site. The developer has said that a nine-hole course might be retained on the site.

Tujunga resident Cindy Cleghorn said she and others met with Gruel, and found the councilwoman very supportive of the proposal to save the course. "We're just at the beginning stages," Cleghorn said.

The course is immediately adjacent to La Crescenta, and draws many of its customers from the local community.

A slowdown in the home construction market has led to hopes that the developer might be willing to sell the property to the city, if funding can be identified.

Mike Lawler, a local preservation leader, has long supported saving the course, which has historical connections in the community. He wondered if some sort of joint acquisition and operation effort might be worked out between the county and the city.

PHOTO BELOW:
SAVING AN OLD FRIEND - War drums are being beat in preparation for battle to save Verdugo Hills golf course. Community supporters have met with LA City Councilwoman Wendy Gruel to combat efforts by a development company to build a condominium complex on the site.
Photo by Robin Goldsworthy.

Here's a letter to the Glendale News-Press that was written by our very own Kentucky FoothillsForum member, DaveR (formerly VHHS68). It appeared on April 18, 2007.

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MAILBAG

Course means much to many, for life

I was saddened to learn of the plans to develop the golf course where I first learned the game ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," March 27).

It has a special place in my memories of living in Tujunga in the mid-1960s.

In fact, I recently found a 40-year-old golf ball from their driving range packed away with some of my high school mementos.

Golf is a game for life, and one to be passed down to the next generation.

I have come full circle in that after a career with IBM of more than 30 years, I am working at a country club here in the Bluegrass Region of Lexington, Ky., and playing more golf than ever.

One of the last things my son and I did before his leaving for active duty with the U.S. Air Force was to play a round of golf together.

So, for not only my memories, but, more importantly, for the memories still to be made, I strongly urge that the Verdugo Hills Golf Course be left alone.

DAVE ROBERTSON
Lexington, Ky.

SharonW shared the following letters which appeared in the Glendale News Press on March 31, 2007.

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Thanks for any help in saving golf area

Regarding saving the Verdugo Golf Course ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," Tuesday), I want to say thanks to Rich Toyon and Cindy Cleghorn for leading the charge, and thanks to Los Angeles Councilwoman Wendy Greuel for supporting this effort. I just wrote a letter a couple of weeks ago bemoaning the loss of this important community resource.

I'll state again the obvious. The Crescenta Valley is currently a great place to live. We enjoy good schools, a low crime rate and we have numerous forms of recreation at our fingertips — biking, hiking, shopping and golf. All these combine to make Crescenta Valley a very pleasant place.

People from all over L.A. want to live here. But we can't keep shoehorning more people into our valley while at the same time sacrificing the things that keep our quality of life high. It's a recipe for disaster for the future of our beautiful community. We need to guard jealously the remaining "pluses" we have here in Crescenta Valley. Please move forward with keeping the Verdugo Hills Golf Course open.

MIKE LAWLER
La Crescenta


Golf course is an important area for us

Keep the golf course as-is and let it be known that we can all enjoy our outside nature and relax and play golf ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," Tuesday).

WILLIAM R. SPEDDEN
Tujunga

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Thanks again to SharonW who shared letters to the News-Press that appeared April 3, 2007. This is what she posted:

See below: (Andrea Humberger is president of Montrose/Sparr Heights/Verdugo City Homeowners Assoc. and an architecture historian - I believe, anyway a great ally for VHGC) (the middle letter is from a rather familiar sounding name but I'm not sure....)

MAILBAG

We must save course for future golfers

I have lived in La Crescenta since 1961. I have played the Verdugo Hills course a few times a year, including when we took our 8-year-old, who spent more time chasing the rabbits than honing his golf skills.

After retiring, I heard from a friend about the Monday Club and the Tuesday Club for women that have existed there for about 30 years. I joined in January 2006 and look forward to playing there on a weekly basis, and also practicing my driving skills on the range. Recently I had my 10-year-old grandson down at the driving range. He practiced with my eight and nine irons with wondrous natural ability. I gave him my 5 wood and he hit several up onto the platform out in the range.

We also practiced the skills involved in putting. He was so disappointed I would not let him play the course. When he visits from Chicago again, we will.

If you establish some sort of fund to save Verdugo Hills Golf Course, I know you would have an unleashing of funds from hundreds in the area who wish to be able to enjoy it for many more years. It is such a unique space for us all to use for fun and exercise.

I am happy to become one of those who like to brag about "our golf course."

JEAN WOODY
La Crescenta


Areas like golf course are why we're here

I first saw the Verdugo Hills Golf Course back in the 1970s when a teaching position brought me to the Crescenta Valley. My husband and I liked the area with its small-town quality of life, its beautiful mountain ranges and open space. We liked it enough that we bought a house and we've raised our family here.

The recent articles ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," March 27) and letters about the golf course have been a valuable reminder of the qualities that made us want to settle here and the importance of preserving those qualities as best we can.

As our population has grown, so have the demands on our valley. How can we afford to lose any more open space, let alone recreational space like the golf course? In addition, undeveloped parcels of the golf course property could be used to expand its recreational uses, anything from designated hiking trails to tennis courts. The property could be a recreational gold mine.

We think a cross-regional effort to buy the golf course makes a lot of sense and it would be a tremendous investment in the future. We appreciate Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel taking the lead on this and we hope others will work with her to make it happen.

KAREN AND TOM ZIMMERMAN
La Crescenta


Verdugo golf course should be preserved

I support the preservation of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," March 27), one of the few affordable and family-friendly golf courses around. Built in the 1950s, it is a local landmark that provides green space for residents, hikers and motorists passing through.

The Sunland-Tujunga area of Los Angeles has a very low number of parks, as does the adjacent unincorporated area of Los Angeles County and the city of Glendale. These areas cannot afford to lose any recreational open space.

In addition to its importance as open space, it has also a historic site of a World War II internment depot that the community is working to have documented and identified.

Finally, replacing the golf course with 269 condos would have tremendous traffic impacts on Tujunga Canyon Road, as well as on other local infrastructure.

ANDREA HUMBERGER
Montrose

Here are a couple of more letters to the News-Press. They appeared in early April. Thanks again, SharonW!

Verdugo Hills course should be saved

For the record, Verdugo Hills Golf Course opened on Saturday, June 18, 1960 ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," March 27).

Various years printed in the Glendale News-Press and appearing on websites are inaccurate.

I played at Verdugo Hills with my dad on opening day and worked in the pro shop, driving range and snack bar for the next few years while I was in high school and college. During those years, we played many fun rounds together, my brother, Charlie, sometimes joining us. When I became a dad, my daughter, Emilie, was my golf partner as soon as she could swing a junior-sized club.

I'm disappointed that this oasis is in danger of being destroyed and turned into condominiums. Closing Verdugo Hills Golf Course would be a tragedy. Too many places for family recreation have disappeared over the years, replaced by office buildings, shopping centers and housing projects.

Verdugo Hills Golf Course has a special appeal to families, youngsters and seniors alike — all ages and abilities are welcome — and it doesn't cost major money or take six hours to play, like regulation size courses. It's also one of the best-maintained par 3s in Southern California and an excellent course for practicing the short game.

I applaud the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee for working to keep the course open for everyone to enjoy for this and future generations.

VIC PALLOS
Glendale


Preserved course would be a boon

Regarding the article concerning the Verdugo Hills Golf Course ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," March 27), thank goodness for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee.

The committee's goal to purchase the property from the developer and preserve its current use is just what the community needs.

We do not need more development. We need areas set aside for quiet enjoyment and exercise to get away from the congestion and stress that development has created. We do not need 269 town homes and condominiums. What are they thinking?

MARIANNE GOLUCH
Glendale

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(Post moved to "The VHGC" thread.)

The following was in reply to an article that the L.A. Times ran on June 1, 2007.
The article, entitled "How can L.A. create better places to play?", dealt with the city's shortage of parkland and recreational options. Since the northern reaches of Los Angeles don't usually get much coverage by the Times I was surprised when the newspaper ran the letter that I sent. Now if the Los Angeles Times would write some articles about what's going on up in Sunland-Tujunga....that would be helpful.

Los Angeles Times
Opinion: Letters

Recreational hole in one
June 8, 2007

Re "How can L.A. create better places to play?" June 1

This article about creating more recreational options for city residents is timely. As the number of people living in Los Angeles continues to rise, our parks seem to be shrinking.

Los Angeles has an excellent opportunity to add to its parkland inventory with the purchase of Verdugo Hills Golf Course in Tujunga. Located on the northeastern edge of Los Angeles, the 18-hole, par-3 course is less than a mile from Glendale and within minutes of the unincorporated areas of L.A. County.

A multi-jurisdictional purchase of the property makes good economic, as well as recreational, sense. In addition, more than half of the 63-acre property is undeveloped parcels and hillside that could very well interest the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. With a four-party purchase, the property could become a recreational goldmine.

KAREN AND TOM ZIMMERMAN
La Crescenta

Sharon W. posted these to the old forum. They cover a number of issues affecting the golf course and the quality of life for those of us who live in this area. The following are excerpts of the letters that were published March 29, 2007.



MAILBAG

Development would cause problems

The news this morning made my heart happy. It's about time someone thinks a bit before selling us out for the good ol' dollar ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," Tuesday). Think back on the history before destroying a landmark forever.

We live a few hundred yards up the street from the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and we can tell you that the proposed plans were catastrophic in every way.

You see, we have been living on Tujunga Canyon Boulevard for the past 33 years and have seen way too much traffic for this street. This street has major issues, which everyone on the Los Angeles City Council ignores. I have reminded Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, first things first. What ever happened to the money that was designated way back in the 1960s for this street? All you have to do is come to my home and stay an entire day to see the amount of traffic on a street, which was not intended for such constant traffic. And the attitude of the people driving nowadays. It can take us minutes to get out of our own driveway. I am amazed at the insensitivity of the people up here anymore.

ANA MARIA PLANAS
Tujunga


Golf course should stay green anyway

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course has been a very important part of the area landscape for decades ("Group hopes to buy public golf course," Tuesday). And the property has been a very attractive part of the area; just pass by on the Foothill (210) Freeway going west and you'll see.

Certainly, in my opinion, to convert this beautiful area to a residential housing purpose would be ruinous to the community. There are far too few places of greenery or nature in the area. To convert the golf course to a concrete and asphalt jungle would be a disaster.

This is my view coming from someone who was around in the '50s as a teenager, who still travels through the area numerous times a month and who has friends in the area who enjoy the landscape as it is currently.

TED W. FRIESEN
Santa Clarita

The following excerpts of a letter by Elaine Brown appeared in the North Valley Reporter in the March 28-April 11, 2007 issue:



Help Save Verdugo Hills Golf Course

There is a concentrated effort to save the Verudgo Hills Golf Course.
Several groups from Sunland Tujunga, Glendale and the unincorporated
part of Los Angeles County have come together to save the course.

Please tell your friends we need their help. we appreciate all the help
available to save this vital asset that serves so many persons
throughout the valley.

Elaine Brown
Sunland-Tujunga

Here is one of the earlier commentaries written about saving the golf course. It appeared in the Glendale News-Press around March 19, 2007.

COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:
Golf course should be part of discussion
By Molly Bosted

Although a number of important issues relating to development and open space are being discussed during the Glendale City Council election season, there is one which so far has been overlooked.

This is the proposed development of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course — currently threatened with the construction of 269 housing units. While not within the city of Glendale, it is only one block from the city's boundary. More importantly, it has been used by hundreds, if not thousands, of Glendale residents since it was first built back in the 1950s.
The Verdugo Hills Golf Course is unique in the greater Los Angeles area by virtue of its size.

It is also one of the few public courses where a child can learn to golf. Over the decades, many children have learned to love the game at this family-friendly facility. It is used by local high schools and community colleges for their golf programs and tournaments.

An entire family of four can play a round of golf at Verdugo for less than the price one golfer pays at the Angeles National Course, a few miles up the freeway.

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course is a treasure to non-golfers as well. Majestic oak trees dot the course. It is part of the scenic richness cyclist, hikers and residents enjoy, balancing the harsh visual assault of the Foothill (210) Freeway.

And it has been a landmark in the community for decades. Not only does it hold sentimental value, it has historic significance as well. The location was the site of a World War II Japanese internment depot. Community residents are now working to obtain historical status for the land.

While the discussion continues on downtown traffic mitigation, mansionization, a view ordinance and the development of private high school/condo projects, the time has come to include the Verdugo Hills Golf Course in the conversation.

Where do the candidates stand on the development of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course? Is there a role for the Glendale City Council to play in the preservation of the course? Is there a way for Glendale to work with the City and County of Los Angeles, and even the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, to preserve this historic and recreational resource?

Can the course be saved and perhaps developed into an even finer recreational facility with tennis courts, ball fields and other active recreation infrastructure?

Candidates, the ball is teed up. Who's going to drive it down the fairway?
________________________________________
• MOLLY BOSTED is a Glendale resident.

Here is one of the first articles written about the community's efforts to form a group on behalf of saving the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. It includes quotes by Cindy Cleghorn, Chairperson of the STNC, and Rich Toyon, President of VOICE (Volunteers Organized In Conservation of the Environment), the group that helped stop Oakmount V.

The following article appeared in the Glendale News-Press March 27, 2007.


Group hopes to buy public golf course
Committee seeking to preserve Verdugo Hills links wants to buy the site from its developer owner.
By Ryan Vaillancourt

GLENDALE — The Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee, a group that hopes to thwart a developer's plan to build condos on the site, got good news on Friday: Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel is in their corner.

Committee leaders Richard Toyon and Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council chairwoman Cindy Cleghorn met with Greuel at her office on Friday to discuss the preservation of the course.

"She is very supportive and that is very important," Cleghorn said.

The committee's goal is to purchase the course back from the developer and preserve its current use in the community, Toyon said.

In their efforts to raise money for the cause, the committee members believe they have a good ally in Greuel.

In February, Greuel announced that the city of Los Angeles' successfully purchased of 80 acres of park land in the Verdugo Mountains. The land, which fetched $2.1 million, was sold off by a private developer who had invested in the property with plans to subdivide it, according to Greuel's office.

Drawing from a combination of state and city sources — including $1 million in funds from Proposition K, an ongoing biennial source of competitive state funds — Greuel took about two years to orchestrate the deal, Greuel's office said.

It's a scenario that Crescenta Valley preservationists and golfers hope will play out with the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, located in one of the northernmost portions of the city of Los Angeles, just west of La Crescenta.

Real estate developer MWH Development Corp. purchased the property in 2004, and has since re-imagined its 63-acres of mostly hillside land as the future site of 269 town homes and condominiums.

The par-three course, which was built in the early 1950s, is touted by many as an affordable recreational opportunity for beginner and casual golfers. The course is used by the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce for its annual golf championship, and the Crescenta Valley High School golf team uses the course for tournament play.

"If the site is developed according to the current plan, that's something we can never get back for our valley," Toyon said.

MWH Development Corp. unveiled its most recent plan for the site at meetings of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council and the Crescenta Valley Town Council in May 2006.

But since meeting with the local government councils last year, the company has been mum about the site.

Calabasas-based MWH Development Corp. could not be reached for comment.

A slumping housing market could be causing the company to delay its development, said Jack Kyser, chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

QUESTION:
What do you think should be done with the Verdugo Hills Golf Course?
E-mail gnp@latimes.com or write to News-Press and Leader Community Forum, 221 N. Brand Blvd., 2nd Floor, Glendale, CA 91203. Please include your name and tell us your hometown and phone number for verification purposes only.


RYAN VAILLANCOURT is a reporter for the Glendale News-Press. He may be reached at (818) 637-3215 or by e-mail at ryan.vaillancourtlatimes.com.

Developer wants to close course

New plan calls for 229 single-family homes and the closure of Verdugo Hills Golf Course.

By Ryan Vaillancourt

LOS ANGELES — Calabasas Developer MWH Development Corp. has submitted an application to build 229 single-family homes on the site of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and get rid of the golf course all together, company officials said.

The application to the Los Angeles City Planning Department comes more than a year after the company last presented a plan to the public for the 58-acre property, which it purchased for $7.6 million in 2004.

A previous proposal called for 269 condominiums and town homes that would have occupied a portion of the existing 18-hole golf course, leaving a smaller 9-hole course.
...

"Bottom line is we want that property for the community," committee leader Richard Toyon said.

The more than 40-year-old course has long been an affordable recreational opportunity to residents of Los Angeles, Glendale and unincorporated Los Angeles County, Toyon said.

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee wants the cities of Los Angeles and Glendale, Los Angeles County and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to explore whether they could negotiate a shared purchase of the property from MWH Development Corp.
...

full story: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articl ... golf13.txt

We'll have copies of the Save the VHGC petition at the Historical Society of Crescenta Valley/CV Heritage booth at the Montrose Harvest Market on Sunday. Stop by if you haven't already signed it.

Oh gosh, doesn't it just become more and more clear how many players are involved in HD's ridiculous droping in of so many stores all over such a small area ? How many of these development hotspots are there around here !!! I'd love to see an ariel map...KMart site, Hillhaven, VHGG, and I read in the FPaper something about the city being involved in developing McGroarty Park ??? Condos there , too ??

Again, a developer from outside the area (calabassas), wants to improve the area for us !!!???

There's too much development going on around here, for sure. The address for the GNP is in the prior article KarenZ posted in case you want to send in a letter to the editor. Sometimes it feels like shouting into the wind but I still think we have to keep doing it.