
Flat Top hill | Martha Benedict
City officials have approved taking ownership of more than 36 acres of undeveloped land on the border of Lincoln Heights and Montecito Heights and spending $225,000 to maintain the property as open space.
Clear skies early then increasing clouds with showers late. Low 51F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..
Clear skies early then increasing clouds with showers late. Low 51F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Updated: February 4, 2023 @ 7:14 pm
Start your mornings with news about your community. Sign up for our daily newsletter and join the more than 8,000 readers who turn to The Eastsider to find out what's happening in their neighborhood.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Flat Top hill | Martha Benedict
City officials have approved taking ownership of more than 36 acres of undeveloped land on the border of Lincoln Heights and Montecito Heights and spending $225,000 to maintain the property as open space.
City ownership of the property known as Flat Top will help resolve many of the complaints that arose after neighborhood activists were successful in blocking a proposed housing development and preserving the hill as public open space. Community leaders complained that Northeast Trees, an environmental group that had taken temporary ownership of the property, was failing to deal with vandalism and maintenance problems. Northeast Trees, for its part, said that the property was becoming a financial burden and turning it over to the city had proven more complicated and time consuming than expected.
The city will get the land for free but will have to pay for upkeep and future improvements. (Seven acres of Flat Top that includes cell phone and radio towers will remain privately owned.)
Last week, the city’s Recreation and Parks commission voted to accept ownership of Flat Top after the City Council voted in favor of Councilman Gil Cedillo’s motion to transfer $225,000 to cover two years of maintenance. The sale of the land still has to be finalized.
So, what happens to Flat Top now?
The property with sweeping views of the city will remain open space. But, according to a Recreation and Parks report, no plans have been developed or funds secured for any amenities, such as trails and restrooms.
Happy New Year! I'd like to start out 2023 by thanking the nearly 400 readers who contributed to our Fall/Winter Fundraiser. That's amazing! Over the past three months, we raised nearly three-quarters of our $25,000 goal. While that was shy of our target, those funds will allow us to hire a part-time editor on a temporary basis. That position will free me up to strengthen the business and ensure that you see more coverage of the communities we care about.
Of course, there's still time to make a last-minute contribution. You can do so by using the form below
Thanks again for your readership and support. Wishing you all the best in 2023
—Jesús Sanchez, Publisher
PS: The Eastsider is a private company. Your contribution is NOT tax deductible.
Join the more than 5,000 other Eastsiders who receive our daily newsletter. Delivered weekday mornings.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Stay on top of the news with our Daily Digest newsletter. Just enter your email address below and hit the Sign Up button. FYI: We don't sell our email lists to protect your privacy.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
News and messages from our sponsors
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Thank you.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
Rate: | |
Begins: | |
Ends: | |
Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Post a comment as Guest
Report
Watch this discussion.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.