Nestled in the hills between Beverly Hills and Studio City is a section of Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy land frequented for many years by hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. The Hastain Trail, which leads up to the ridge between Franklin and Coldwater canyons has been in use for more than 40 years. Recently the trail was blocked by a fence, and sections of the pristine ridge were bulldozed.
There has been an outcry from trail users against the development. While the trail does pass through private land, apparently neither the previous nor the current landowners had ever made attempts to prevent or dissuade the use of the trail until the fence was erected earlier this year.
Even more frustrating is that the MRCA had the funds to purchase the private parcels at their appraised value and preserve this last remaining open space in 2005. Hadid, the current owner, paid more than their appraised value, something the MRCA is unable to do.
The Save Franklin Canyon protest
According to an article in the Los Angeles Daily News the developer had begun grading with an expired permit. Another in-depth article appeared today in the Studio City Patch listing the expired permits. We refer CORBA news readers to those two articles for a more complete coverage of the situation.
The loss of more open space and a very popular trail in the middle of our urban landscape is something that affects us all. Ellen Scott, a local hiker, has begun a grass roots effort to salvage the Hastain Trail, perhaps through legal action, or perhaps through negotiation with the developer. It appears there may be grounds for a prescriptive easement, or some other form of compromise between the developer and the trail users, though Hadid has thus far avoided negotiations.
The group held a protest last Saturday, March 19, 2011, in which local hikers and mountain bikers carried placards expressing “Save Franklin Canyon,” and “We Need This Canyon.”
For more information or to get involved in the efforts to salvage this popular trail, visit the group’s web site at http://SaveFranklinCanyon.com.
