Montecito Heights Residents Form New Anti-Development Group

A group of about a two-dozen Montecito Heights residents have come together to form an organization dedicated to battling the construction of homes on a 37-acre tract of undeveloped land known as Flat Top.

The Foursquare Foundation--the business arm of the Foursquare Gospel Church--recently made public their tentative plans to develop 36 lots on Flat Top, each about 20,000-square feet in size, according developer Vince Daly of the Daly Group Inc.

The Four Square church has owned the Flat Top land for about 80 years. The parcel was purchased in order to erect three radio towers that would broadcast the sermons of founder Sister Aimee Semple McPherson.

Two weeks ago, a strong contingent of Montecito Heights Improvement Association members gathered at the local senior center to voice their concerns about the project to Daly.

Montecito Drive homeowner Mark Young said the anti-development group--which will be known as Save Our Undeveloped Land (S.O.U.L.)--was formed to prevent the Montecito Heights Improvement Association from running into conflict of interest battles with pro-development residents. 

"The main concern was that at the last meeting there were people who want this development and people who want to develop the land along with the Foursquare Church," Young said. "We cannot ignore the rights of the homeowners who are pro-development, even if there is such a small proportion. Our soul mission and purpose is to fight this."

Two attendees of the previous meeting had voiced desires to develop their own property, however, both also expressed opposition to the tentative plans put forward by the church.

Montecito Heights residents have expressed a long list of concerns about the church's proposed development, including fears that it would build over one of Northeast L.A.'s last stretches of open land.

"It's one of the last open spaces left on the Arroyo Seco line and there's a viewshed that's been unblemished for a long time," Young said. "There are also easement issues--us neighbors have used the path for 40 to 50 years."

Update: 

Daly told Patch that he would be meeting with the Foursquare Foundation to relay the concerns expressed by Montecito Heights residents in February. He said he hoped to meet with community members again in March.

"I think the meetings have been spirited, and that's healthy," Daly said. "You can have resolution without a little conflict."