AGENCY EMPLOYS NEW TACK; MOUNTAIN CONSERVANCY OKS DEVELOPMENT DEAL.Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer The Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. Conservancy's mission is to preserve open space. So it's not surprising that even conservancy bosses consider the agency's latest land swap to be a bit ``counterintuitive coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive adj. Contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate: "Scientists made clear what may at first seem counterintuitive, that the capacity to be pleasant toward a fellow creature is ... .'' That's because the swap announced Tuesday calls for the conservancy, using money supplied by a developer, to buy hundreds of tiny, tax-defaulted lots in the Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south from Santa Clara River Valley to the north and , then turn them over to the same developer, who envisions a new community of single-family homes among the scrub and rocky outcrops north of Chatsworth. Such an exchange would be a first for the conservancy, which more often tries to wrest wrest tr.v. wrest·ed, wrest·ing, wrests 1. To obtain by or as if by pulling with violent twisting movements: wrested the book out of his hands; wrested the islands from the settlers. property out of the hands of developers, rather than the other way around. ``I have to admit it's counterintuitive, but in the long run, it's probably going to pan out to be a very good planning move, something that might not be so obvious right now,'' said Paul Edelman, the conservancy's deputy division chief. This is what makes the deal so good, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the conservancy. In exchange, the conservancy will get about 30 acres of canyon land to preserve as open space, plus cash payments: $165,000 to start, then as much as $60,000 a year for the life of the project. But private conservationists aren't quite convinced that the conservancy is doing the right thing. Albert Knight Albert Ernest Knight (born 8 October 1872 in Leicester, died 25 April 1946 in Edmonton, Middlesex) was an English professional cricket player. He was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys. , vice president of the Santa Susana Mountains Park Association, notes that most of the land that will end up with the conservancy is canyon bottomland and unsuitable for development. The developer is ``giving us something they can't use and telling us how wonderful they are for doing so,'' Knight said. ``But what's the alternative? The money is just not there to buy big sways of open space,'' he added. Conservancy board members approved the swap at a meeting Monday night. One member, actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr., dissented. The proposal next faces approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five member governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district, the current members as of April 2006 are:
The property is located in the 70-year-old Deerlake Highlands subdivision, located north of Chatsworth between Devil's and Brown's canyons on the south-facing slope of the Santa Susana Mountains. The subdivision contains 1,923 postage-stamp-size lots, but more than 1,300 lots covering 71 acres fell into the county's hands through property tax default. In the 1920s and '30s, the area was a resort community. But in the following decades, it fell into desuetude The state of being unused; legally, the doctrine by which a law or treaty is rendered obsolete because of disuse. The concept encompasses situations in which a court refuses to enforce an unused law even if the law has not been repealed. . Fire destroyed many homes. Other property owners were driven off by the area's poor access and the rugged terrain, which made many of their lots undevelopable. Today, there are homes scattered randomly throughout the subdivision, but it's mainly known as a weekend playground for horse riders and hikers, and a year-round haunt for bobcats, deer and other wildlife. Cash-strapped Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County is eager to sell the 1,300 lots, and has agreed to hand them over to the conservancy - which has the right of first refusal Right of First Refusal In general, the right of a person or company to purchase something before the offering is made available to others. Notes: For example, a football team may have the right of first refusal on a player's contract. on the surplus county property - for $1,150,000, said Greg Merrel, a senior property agent for the county. That money will come from Chatsworth Ridge Estates. The conservancy would give the developer 57 of the 71 acres. The developer, which bought up several hundred lots in the area in the 1980s, would give the conservancy an additional 16.5 acres south of the Deerlake Highlands Subdivision. The conservancy property would be permanently dedicated as a nature habitat and open space for public recreation, Edelman said. The developer also would pay the conservancy $165,000 to build trail staging areas and purchase easements EASEMENTS, estates. An easement is defined to be a liberty privilege or advantage, which one man may have in the lands of another, without profit; it may arise by deed or prescription. Vide 1 Serg. & Rawle 298; 5 Barn. & Cr. 221; 3 Barn. & Cr. 339; 3 Bing. R. 118; 3 McCord, R. . Then, the developer would pay the conservancy $24,000 the first year, increasing to $60,000 a year thereafter. |
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