Interesting and dynamic community meeting hosted by the Bel-Air Association and the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance
The Bel-Air Association and Bel Air Homeowners Alliance hosted an interesting and dynamic community meeting last Monday that drew two hundred residents. Topics for discussion and presentation were emergency access and evacuation, party decks that replace rooftops and other planning and land use impacts that included how dangerous it is to build in the hillsides, concern for road safety due to the recent construction vehicle accident on Somera Road at Chantilly, responses to calls by LAPD and LAFD, contentious discussion regarding parking on roads, to bring up the issues that concerned them and to focus on the recent fire on Bel-Air Road, other issues included the the tractor and trailer and hauling truck accident that blocked Somera at Chantilly for many hours.
Margie Perenchio spoke about the new trend in speculative houses where floors are built to replace roofs, questioned their legality and garnered support from the community to work on an Ordinance to limit the entertainment use of such structures.
BAA’s Emergency Preparedness and Neighborhood Watch Chairperson, Mark Goodman MD’s presentation comparing photos of the 1961 Bel-Air Fire, the fires in Sonoma County last month, and the recent fire on Bel-Air Road. His guest speakers included LAFD Assistant Chief Armando Hogan and LAPD Senior Lead Officer Chris Ragsdale, who discussed emergency evacuation for our community — that raised many serious questions by residents with regard to location of fire roads and alternative evacuation routes for those roads that have only one way ingress and egress.
Other speakers and special guests at the meeting were Council District 5’s Chief Deputy of Public Safety, Greg Martayan, Bel-Air resident Margie Perenchio, Chief Inspector for LADBS Luke Zamperini, and LAFD Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS) Battalion 10’s Michael Schlenker.
Bel-Air Association speakers were BAA President Dan Love, BAA Executive Director Shawn Bayliss and BAA Chairperson Marcia Hobbs. Fred Rosen, President and CEO of the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance, also spoke on behalf of that organization.
Brochures were handed out and LINKS to those brochures are below:
The Disaster Preparedness Quiz
Considerations for Sheltering in Place
The Bel-Air Overlay - Hillside Construction Regulation “HCR” Supplemental Use District Ordinance
