 Ed Garren near Susanville, CA. |
Last week, I made some time to read Tom Atwood's op-ed article entitled WeHo Should Grow “UP.”
Mr. Atwood made some good arguments, in fact I would agree with almost all of them. But as a relatively recent transplant, he apparently is not aware of one VERY important difference between New York and Los Angeles. It's called geology.
New York sits on very stable igneous rock (fire formed) like granite. The few fault lines near New York that may be active appear to have been dormant for centuries. In simple terms, the ground is very hard rock and doesn't move on a regular basis.
Nothing could be more different in LA. Our famous hills are sedimentary rock (NOT fire formed) like shale and sandstone. They are sort of like sun dried adobe bricks (igneous being more like kiln fired bricks). Get sedimentary rock very wet from too much rain and it reverts to mud, which is famous for sliding. Then there is the shaking factor. I'll lay odds that Mr. Atwood was not here for the Northridge earthquake and has not lived through a major seismic event.
 Click Here To E Mail Questions – please support our community-based sponsors as they do us - COMMERCIAL SPONSOR |
When I was a child, the documentaries I watched on life in Southern California touted LA's low skyline, explaining that the reason that City Hall was the tallest building was because of earthquakes, and the impossibility of building tall buildings on shaky ground.
 West Hollywood photographer and urban thinker Tom Atwood. |
That all changed in the 1970's, when building advances developed by the Japanese, promised seismically safe tall buildings. This technology did not prove as reliable in Kobe as it had promised. Even here, after the Northridge quake, thousands of buildings were seriously compromised when it was discovered that they had seismic damage at key points where they were riveted together. After our very tall downtown buildings were built, a major fault was discovered directly under them, and there is now some concern about their performance if the fault lets go.
Growing up in Florida, I became suspicious of any developer who did not know and respect geology and other forces of nature. In the 1970's we had a building boom in Tampa Florida, which is the thunder storm capital of the planet. Unique to even other parts of the state, an afternoon thunderstorm is a regular occurrence most afternoons from late May through September. An inch of rain in 30 minutes is the usual event, sometimes more.
Several apartment complexes were built by California based developers, as well as the "Floriland Mall" at Busch Boulevard and Florida Avenue in north Tampa. Every time we had a heavy rain, which in the summer was almost every night, these poorly drained complexes turned into lakes. On evening, a friend called me in tears. She had gone shopping at Floriland, and while inside, a storm had gone through. When she walked out, her car was in three feet of water. The Olds Cutlass parked over the only drain in the entire (dish shaped) parking lot was in water over it's hood.
 COMMERCIAL SPONSOR – please support our community-based sponsors as they do us - COMMERCIAL SPONSOR |
The apartment complexes did not fare much better. A friend lived in one of them, and endured water lapping up to her front door almost every rain storm. She had to park her car out of the complex during the summer, or wade through a foot of water to get to it after it rained.
 West Hollywood has nowhere near the amount of rainfall that Florida enjoys, and as a consequence experiences flooding when rainfall occurs. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
But the most glaring example was the housing development in south Miami, "Kendall Walk." It was a community of upscale homes, built in an intimate village setting, lushly landscaped, promising the finest of Florida living. The California based developer somehow decided that the usual California style of construction, chipboard and stucco, could somehow meet the windstorm requirements of Dade County construction codes.
The building inspectors, who were bought off, apparently agreed. When hurricane Andrew came through, the houses exploded like card houses. Roofs flew off, exterior walls blew out like paper mache, dozens of people were never found. They had taken refuge in their homes, which failed, and they were carried away along with the debris of their houses by the fierce winds.
So ANY discussion of development in Los Angeles, or West Hollywood should include serious inclusion of the geological issues which lurk beneath the pavement, grass and flowers.
 COMMERCIAL SPONSOR - Visit “The Other Side” on Friday Nights to hear James Lent - COMMERCIAL SPONSOR |
Mr. Atwood wasn't here in 1984 when the Ross Dress for Less on Beverly, just east of Fairfax exploded. I remember it vividly. It was the day after a small earthquake, the first one I ever felt. I'd been in West Hollywood about a year, and was sitting in my second floor apartment at 946 N. Curson one afternoon.
 The line of high rise buildings seen from this West Hollywood hillside all rest along Wilshire Boulevard where methane and high water levels force above ground parking. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
A loud "thud", sort of like someone slamming a big door downstairs, echoed through the building. I puzzled over what it could be, till I watched the evening news. It was a 2.1 quake, located near Fairfax and Beverly. The next afternoon, an employee of the Ross store flipped on a light switch in the store room and the entire building turned into a fireball inside, blasting out the front windows, and seriously injuring all of those inside.
I can't remember if anyone died, but if you drove by afterward, there were gas fires all over the parking lot that burned for weeks. The earthquake had released a pocket of methane which had migrated into the walls and ceiling of the Ross store (and one of it's neighboring stores as well).
If you go there now, you will notice a small pumping machine in a wire cage, about half the size of a Volkswagen, in one of the parking spaces, pumping methane out of the ground.
 YOU CAN EFFECT CHANGE – WRITE AN OPINION PIECE SUPPORTING YOUR POV – WEHONEWS PUBLISHES EVERYTHING SUBMITTED! |
I'm sure Mr. Atwood enjoys shopping at The Grove and has never noticed that there are discrete methane detectors all over the complex, even some of the restrooms in the stores have them. The original Farmers Market is built the way it is, with it's charming booths and canvas awnings partially due to the predominance of Methane in the area. It's open air design allowed the methane to escape discreetly, avoiding accumulation and ignition.
 A WeHo parking lot filled by rainfall. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
Anything close to the Tar Pits is basically floating on a large underground pool of tar and methane. The oil was pumped out decades ago.
Then there is West Hollywood's "Gateway" center at La Brea and Santa Monica Blvd. When the original developer, and good friend of John Heilman, J.W. Snyder was planning the project, we of the Eastside PAC asked about the water table, which is quite high in that part of the city. The Snyder team assured us that they would be able to dig down three levels for parking, to accommodate the shopping and office components of the project.
Well, they dug down two levels, and then hit one of the largest aquifers in the region at about sixteen feel. They put a legion of pumps into that hole trying to pump it dry enough to dig the third level, all to no avail. Finally they came back to us to tell us that with the difficulties of digging, tied to the falling office market in the region, it would be unfeasible to put in the office component.
That's why the Gateway only has two floors of parking, and I've been told that in heavy rains the lower floor can get very damp. It's also interesting that after promising the PAC that they would retain ownership of the complex after it was built, Snyder sold the complex before it was full, retaining only management of it.
 COMMERCIAL SPONSOR – please support our community-based sponsors as they do us - COMMERCIAL SPONSOR |
The same aquifer runs under most of the east side of West Hollywood, so I wonder how they are going to build eleven floor buildings if the foundation can only be dug two floors before they hit water. Can you imagine the seismic nightmare of a ten story building swaying in a major earthquake? Then consider it's foundation sitting in mud? Do you believe such a building, filled with seniors and the disabled would be a safe place to live? The city seems to think so.
 West Hollywood’s Plummer Park gym after a rain. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
Most of West Hollywood sits atop an underground aquifer that flows out of the Santa Monica mountains and under the city. In the early days of the city, a leaking gasoline tank up on Sunset migrated gasoline down this underground river which ended up in the parking garages of a few apartment buildings on Huntley Drive, just north of Melrose.
This is the same soil that Mr. Atwood and Mr. Duran want to put a subway through? It is the same soil that City Council approved the construction of four ten story buildings at La Cienega and Sunset on. The serious questions about two fault lines, one inactive, one questionable, were ignored by City Council. Even though about 100 residents came out to oppose the project, John Duran, Jeff Prang and Sal approved it anyway (with John Heilman absent because he lives too close to it).
Mr. Atwood mentioned that he lived in San Francisco for a while. I guess he didn't stay long enough to learn why most of San Francisco is built "low." The reason the city never embraced high rise building is the memory of the 1909 earthquake. Most San Franciscans heard vivid stories from childhood about buildings collapsing, people dying, the city erupting in flames. None of it would encourage high rise living.
 COMMERCIAL SPONSOR – please support our community-based sponsors as they do us - COMMERCIAL SPONSOR |
I also suspect Mr. Atwood may not know the meaning of the word Cienega. It means swamp or marsh. Until the drainage systems were installed south of Olympic in the 30's, much of that part of the city was always soggy from all the water coming out of the hills.
 This new mixed us development at Hancock and Santa Monica Boulevard can go down only so far for parking. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
The spring below Santa Monica blvd., in front of the house behind 24 Hr. Fitness, that kept the gutters of Westmount wet all year round has been capped off and drained into the sewer, but I suspect the one up in the hills that did the same thing for Rising Glen and Sunset Plaza is still in business.
If you ever REALLY want to see an interesting piece of information, go to the second floor of City Hall. Across from the Planning Department desk there is a map of "Liquefaction Zones" for the city of West Hollywood. Much of the city is in a liquefaction zone, due to our very wet ground about ten to twenty feet below the surface. Don't be surprised if it gets moved after this is published.
So, let me get this right. We're going to build ten floor buildings, with two floor foundations under them, that sit on mud. We're not going to be concerned about possible seismic problems with this building that sits in mud? We're going to then put seniors and disabled into these buildings?
 Advertise With WeHoNews - Reach 60,000 pairs of eyes each month while supporting WeHo’s ONLY COMMUNITY ONLINE NEWSPAPER |
As much as Mr. Atwood's vision of an "Urban Core" is inviting, without viable public transportation, it cannot happen. With the seismic and geological issues that lurk underground, a subway is all but impossible, and would be very expensive to build, even more expensive to maintain, and may prove very dangerous to be riding in if the earth decides to move.
 Building high rise buildings along the Sunset Strip, like these, also risks seismic activity. The hillsides are often run through with faults that could cause landslide. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
Even if the subway could be built in a concrete sleeve through the underground river and/or methane, can you imagine the horror of having it fall in during a major earthquake? Mr. Atwood wasn't in West Hollywood when they stopped the subway construction west on Wilshire at Western, but I was.
John Duran was too, but certainly focused elsewhere. He may not remember that it was decided that going west on Wilshire was a methane laden nightmare. Once past Highland, it would turn into a tar nightmare too. If the subway were routed farther north, then it might possibly go west, until it hits water. It is feasible to build a subway if they route it north on Western, and then go west on Melrose or Santa Monica Blvd. If Beverly Hills agrees, this could be done, but it is very unlikely Beverly Hills would allow a subway under any of it's treasured streets.
I heard mythology that once Beverly Hills did consider burying the portion of Santa Monica Blvd. that went through it, but the idea was scrapped because it cost too much. It cost too much because they sit on the same aquifer, which is why there is no deep underground parking in Beverly Hills. In fact, there is no deep underground parking anywhere in the Beverly Hills, Mid-Wilshire, West Hollywood area. Now you know why.
 Advertise With WeHoNews - Reach 60,000 pairs of eyes each month while supporting WeHo’s ONLY COMMUNITY ONLINE NEWSPAPER |
When I was 12 years old, my father and I went to New York City to get his birth certificate and name change resolved. We drove our little Corvair Monza all over the city when we could, but also avoided driving a lot of times and places. The city was gridlock for a lot of the day. Without subways, it would be impossible to get around in.
 Another view of the famed Sunset Strip and its towers. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
I would ask Mr. Atwood to consider his "Urban Core" that he envisions without a subway. The only other option is an elevated rapid transit. Can we start the first leg of it outside his apartment window? Perhaps the other leadership in the city who think this "Urban Core" is a great idea can volunteer air space near where they reside as well.
LA once had the finest public transportation system in the country, the Pacific Electric Red Car. The very capitalism which Mr. Atwood praises, coupled with a lack of vision by the elected officials of the day, allowed for the dismantling of the red car line, and it's replacement by busses. Santa Monica Boulevard was once one of the arterial streets for the Red Car Line. Now it is constantly clogged with traffic, not from West Hollywood residents (who usually walk or drive on a "back" streets like Fountain or Willoughby), but with regional traffic, people going from Hollywood to Beverly Hills, or Century City.
A friend recently told me it was taking her over 70 minutes each way to get to her doctor's office in Santa Monica. When the area is built with more dense taller buildings, how will that number expand? Imagine spending two hours in gridlocked traffic just to get to the 405. Is that Mr. Atwood's vision of an "Urban Core?"
 ADVERTISEMENT – please support our gracious community-based sponsors - ADVERTISEMENT |
Before I left the city, I was having a conversation with one of the high level staff in the city about additional traffic from the proposed Movietown Plaza development. Her response was something to the effect of, "well, it will add to gridlock, but the streets are already gridlocked anyway, so what difference does it make."
 Although ten stories at La Cienega and Santa Monica could be built, its effect on already nettlesome area traffic issues could make it impossible. Photo by Ryan Gierach. |
So, you can see that traffic management is a high priority in the city of West Hollywood. This is the kind of long term vision demonstrated by current leadership in City Hall.
West Hollywood was supposed to be an "Urban VILLAGE" not an "Urban Nightmare."
I have moved to another city that actually did make a decision to grow "up" over twenty five years ago. The city of Portland Oregon and it's neighbors, drew an "Urban Growth Boundary" around itself and said that no urban type development could happen out of that boundary. It went on to plan and build one of the finest light rail systems in America, the MAX line.
The MAX serves three counties, and is bicycle friendly. Zoning was modified to encourage development along the corridors that the MAX serves. The city is resplendent with mixed use developments, particularly along the MAX. This is a city where one can actually live without a car, which is why lots of creative young people (who are usually of moderate means) are flocking to it.
 COMMERCIAL SPONSOR – please support our community-based sponsors as they do us - COMMERCIAL SPONSOR |
Portland has made solid plans to grow "up", and it is doing it with fewer "variances" from it's planning and zoning laws. Even so, there are seismic and geological issues here, and pressures from developers as well. But the city has a long history of healthy dissent, and leadership actually listens to residents and acts accordingly.
 The view from Ed Garren’s place in Hayden Island, OR. |
West Hollywood is just adding density, to an already overly dense area, the most dense west of Manhattan.
Is it any wonder why traffic is turning to gridlock? It's being created by short sighted elected officials, who in concert with developer "friends" are destroying what's left of the city. If the current trend is not altered, the city will be a lot like Westwood "Village" within ten years. Is that were Mr. Atwood wants to live? If so, he should just move there now.
It's ironic that West Hollywood is losing it's creativity to a place like Portland, which actually is making policy which encourages creative young people to live here. What I've found here is a plethora of "hip" places to eat, drink, hear the latest "indy" music, young talent, and genuine "green" planning. It's a city that works, and respects people who work. It may not be perfect, but it's not being driven by less than a handful of people who refuse to listen to anyone else.
So, I would encourage Mr. Atwood to come take a look at Portland. He's welcome to stay at my place, ten feet from the Columbia River. He will pass through the number one airport in the country (recently rated among readers of Conde Nast Traveler) and will be able to walk, read, bike, shop and eat out in one of the finest cities in America. He will find the air exceptionally clean, the water even cleaner (so pure they don't have to put chlorine in it), and he will find well read, intelligent people here, who understand that it takes more than mixed use condos to make a city great.
 |
It takes "soul", something only economic diversity and healthy dissent can bring. Healthy dissent is very absent from the political scene in West Hollywood, and all of the new development is erasing economic diversity as well.
From the banks of the mighty Columbia River, Ed Garren
 Advertise With WeHoNews - Reach Over 60,000 pairs of eyes each month while supporting WeHo’s ONLY COMMUNITY ONLINE NEWSPAPER |
If there can be such a thing as instinctual memory, the consciousness of land and water must lie deeper in the core of us than any knowledge of our fellow beings. We were bred of the earth before we were born of our mothers. Once born we can live without our mothers, or fathers, or any other kin, or any friend, or human love. We cannot live without the earth or apart from it, and something is shriveled in man’s heart when he turns away from it and concerns himself only with the affairs of men.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings from “Cross Creek”
Edward "Ed" Garren, MFT is a Family Therapist, justice activist, former West Hollywood City Council candidate, writer and sojourner. He is originally from the Tampa Bay area of central Florida. Ed has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Frontiers news magazine, and other books, including "Out of My Mind", a pictorial memoir by Kris Nelson. He is currently working on a book about Addiction in America. More information about Ed can be found at: www.edgarren.us