Westwood Council May Oppose Venice Zip Line

The Westwood Neighborhood Council may take a stand against a Venice Beach zip line that could generate revenue for Los Angeles' cash-strapped parks department.

A motion on the council's Wednesday meeting agenda says the attraction is "perceived to be incompatible with the historical values and vision of our city's parks as they will have negative traffic, noise and visual impacts." To read the full text of the motion, click the PDF image to the right.

Mark Herd, the councilmember who wrote the motion, said Westwood residents should be able to voice an opinion on the zip line.

"It's our beach, we use it too in Westwood and (Los Angeles City Councilmember) Paul Koretz has to vote on it, and he's our representative," Herd said. "Giving him direction is a good thing."

As a former Venice resident, Herd said he is concerned about the impact on parking near the beach in Venice if the zip line is approved. He also said using city parks to raise money for the city is concerning, especially if it eventually happens in Westwood.

"Do you think putting a zip line in Holmby Park would go over well?" Herd said. "I lived right there and I care about that area."

Herd spoke to Westwood-Century City Patch before the council's Wednesday meeting. He is unable to attend the meeting when the council may consider his motion.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the .

In Venice, the proposed 600-foot zip line has been on the table since May. The ride would be owned and operated by Greenheart Conservation Company, based in Canada.

A , but that plan was criticized by the community and ultimately stalled.

The Venice Neighborhood Council approved the proposal in May, but with conditions: two-thirds of gross revenues must be spent on maintaining Venice Beach, and the ride must be taken down at the end of the three-month trial period.

In June, the Los Angeles City project at Councilmember Bill Rosendahl's request.

Rosendahl said at he hoped the permit application would be in front of the California Coastal Commisison at its August meeting and the ride, which can be assembled in 72 hours, could be open in time for Labor Day.

The Parks and Recreation Department must come up with $30-40 million of its $185 million budget. About 16 million people visit Venice Beach each year, which has attracted the interest of private entertainment companies willing to split revenue with the city, .

The Venice Neighborhood Council in May voted 8-6 with three abstentions in favor of the proposal with 15 conditions attached. Those conditions included a pledge that two-thirds of gross revenues be spent on Venice Beach for maintenance and enhanced services and that the attraction be dismantled at the end of the three-month trial period.

Rosendahl said he hoped the permit application would be in front of the California Coastal Commisison at its August meeting and the ride, which can be assembled in 72 hours, could be open in time for Labor Day.

To read complete coverage of the Venice Beach zip line proposal, check out Venice Patch.

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