CLOSED ROAD MAINTAINS HOMEOWNERS' RURAL LIFE.

Byline: Linda Redel

In 1983, when it became apparent that a housing development at the end of Valley Street would soon begin construction, Happy Valley neighbors sought to preserve the integrity of their neighborhood and ensure the safety of their children.

We fought hard, and in 1984, a contingent of people representing Happy Valley appeared at the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission. In February 1984, the county deleted Valley Street from regional planning maps as a secondary highway and returned it to rural road status.

We were determined not to become an off-ramp of the Golden State (5) Freeway. This same contingent of neighbors negotiated with Urban West, developer of Hidden Valley, and the county of Los Angeles. We mutually agreed to provide Hidden Valley homeowners a way to their children's bus stop and emergency vehicles access through a gate on their private road at the terminus of Calgrove Boulevard and Valley Street.

When we became a city, the general plan with Valley Street as a rural road, was accepted. A few years later, the city adopted its general plan, and Valley Street was redesignated as a secondary highway, which by definition has no homes facing onto it. This was done without any of the affected homeowners being notified.

The environmental impact report for the general plan failed to determine the impact of this change on this rural area. Since 1991, our City Council has made it clear five separate times: Valley/Calgrove is to remain a closed, nonconnected road. Valley Street is a narrow two-lane, meandering rural road with more than 20 heritage oak trees, islands of oaks, without curbs, gutters, sidewalks or street lights. More than 70 homes, two churches and three preschools face directly onto, and have driveways backing onto, Valley Street.

When the private portion was opened during the recent Wiley Canyon construction, more than 5,000 cars a day came through this tiny street. The result: Walking became nonexistent, two cars flipped over, two children were hit (one critically injured), a rape occurred at the gated area and the number of speeding tickets skyrocketed. Our entire way of life changed in a negative way, especially our children's safety. We can not exchange the safety of our children and character of our neighborhood for a shorter commute to the freeway.

Homeowners in areas south of Hidden Valley have never had access through the Valley/Calgrove terminus. The City Council has stood by the commitments and promises made and have determined that neither Valley Street nor its neighborhood could support being a four-lane road. We will continue to work hard to make sure promises made are promises kept to a neighborhood intent on remaining safe for our families.