Bulldozers Level Controversial “Addition” in Rustic Canyon

On Monday morning, a house in Rustic Canyon that played a key role in saving local residents Mehr and Vickey Beglari from having to demolish their primary residence two doors down at 909 Greentree Rd., as ordered by the Department of Building and Safety in January, was torn down. The demolished house, at 921 Greentree, was purchased by the Beglaris two years ago, and they later built a five-foot “addition” to the front of the ranch-style bungalow. The addition’essentially a “lean-to” attached to the brick chimney and consisting of a sloped composite roof supported by two wood pillars (four-by-fours)’not only decreased the house’s setback from the street, but in doing so, altered the “prevailing” setback for the entire block, consisting of four residences. This new setback immediately set off a chain of events, all in the Beglaris’ favor. It instantly rendered the couple’s residence at 909 in compliance with the municipal code, resulting in the city rescinding its order to comply, which had come after a five-year legal battle between the Beglaris and five of their neighbors’a case that went all the way to the California Court of Appeal, which affirmed the neighbors’ civil suit against both the Beglaris and the City of L.A. The Beglaris had obtained a building permit in January 2001 to build a 6,550-sq.-ft., two-story addition to their existing 2,000-sq.-ft. ranch-style house at 909 Greentree Rd. Their problem began in April of that year, when they started excavating the front of their 10,000-sq.-ft. lot to build an underground garage. The neighbors thought the Beglaris were digging too close to the curb and suspected that the setback was not in accordance with the municipal code. The Beglari residence was found to be 14 feet closer to the street than permitted by the zoning code, resulting in the Court of Appeal ordering Building and Safety to revoke all permits issued to the Beglaris, as well as their 2002 certificate of occupancy, last spring. The plaintiffs felt vindicated until they discovered that in February, Building and Safety not only rescinded the order but reinstated the Beglaris’ building permits and occupancy certificate “to reflect the revised front-yard prevailing setback based on the current circumstances.” Public records show that on May 2, the Beglaris obtained a permit to build a 7,000-sq.-ft. house and three-car garage at 921 Greentree. The plaintiffs are considering further legal action.