A bathroom that would cost around a million dollars to build is causing controversy for some residents near Runyon Canyon Park.
The 160-acre park, located just above Hollywood at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, is famous for its scenic views of Los Angeles and hiking trails of various difficulties. There are three entrances; two in Hollywood (North Fuller Avenue and North Vista Street) as well as one at the north end of the park off Mulholland Drive.
Currently, there are only portable toilets throughout the park, which attracts over a million visitors per year. The bathroom would be installed near the North Fuller Avenue entrance.
Some area residents are concerned about the bathroom for many reasons – the price tag being the main issue – and it’s clear that some are convinced that $960,000 is simply too much to build a restroom.
What’s more, an Oregon-based company that residents contacted gave an estimate of $500,000. That’s according to Runyon Canyon Guardians, a neighborhood community group which bills itself as an organization “interested in preserving Runyon Canyon while working to keep developers and incompetent city leaders at bay.”
A post by the group indicates a number of alleged problems with the construction plans, ranging from “very shady non-transparency” from Fourth District Councilwoman Nithya Raman, the L.A. County Parks Department and the Friends of Runyon Canyon nonprofit to “massive” conflicts of interest involving what they call “a scandalous, kickback-filled, fraudulent $1 million bathroom.”
Additionally, Runyon Canyon Guardians alleges that no community outreach was conducted surrounding the construction, no notices were given to area residents, no flyers were posted in the park, and officials made no social media posts. They also claim that, since the January wildfires, there has been no movement on an evacuation plan or long-term security operations.
Furthermore, Runyon Canyon Guardians say that no environmental testing was done and that the parties involved in the construction are “avoiding” a full environmental impact review.
They even go so far as to claim that the whole thing is a money laundering scheme.
“I’ve seen the plans; it’s a two-stall bathroom with an exterior sink,” said Scott Weil with Runyon Canyon Guardians. “Two-stall bathroom, one exterior sink — one million dollars? No way.”
On the other hand, there were a few residents who spoke off camera with KTLA said they were in favor of the bathroom because it is long overdue. Others were indifferent.
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