Are mansions the real disaster?

Carol Snip

Should rebuilding be allowed in landslide areas such as Bluebird

Canyon?

My vote would be no. At least not until I am comfortable knowing

that decisions made by the building and planning commission would

protect those good people who rebuild their homes modestly -- but not

if people gobble up the land for future “mansionization” of Laguna

Beach.

In other words, would some of these homes be replaced with

gigantic mansions that incorporate multi-lots?

I am a resident of Laguna Beach and live on Dunning Drive directly

across from Bluebird Canyon on the back side.

I have a view of the crest of the canyon and the homes at the top

of the slide, which are now red-tagged, with undermined foundations.

For two years, those of us on Dunning Drive, have watched the

construction of a huge concrete foundation that covers at least three

lots on the top of Bluebird Canyon.

The foundation is at least the size of a football field, and I

understand that a multimillion-dollar “castle” is in the process of

being built on the site. Since the landslide appears to have started

from the point of this foundation it puts a question in my mind.

Did the string of caissons along the front of its foundation crack

or disturb the hillside? During the rains there were three huge

mudslides from the foundation down the canyon on the Dunning Drive

side. What about the water that poured off the foundation on the

Bluebird side of the hill?

Surely had this been three homes on three separate lots there

would be caissons under the foundations, with a break between the

homes to allow drainage and an even saturation of the hill.

Is our city Planning Commission allowing these huge mansions to be

built under the protest of neighbors, putting everyone at risk?

Dunning Drive had its own set of problems several years ago. Two

homes fell victim to a slide into the canyon.

Years later, the lots were sold, and neighbors appeared at the

building and planning meetings to protest the request for someone to

build an 8,000-square-foot home and granny unit on one of the lots.

Eventually the plans were approved to build an approximately

6,000-square-foot home as a compromise.

That’s more than triple the average size of a home on this street.

What will happen to Bluebird Canyon if it is once again approved for

building? Will greed raise its ugly head again?

* CAROL SNIP lives in Laguna Beach.