Least shocking news ever: Runyon Canyon's neighbors are not into the idea of building a for-profit zipline through the public park. The Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council (whose support is not officially required but could be crucial to the proposal's success) came out grumbling at a meeting last week regarding the zipline, which would run 2,900 feet across the canyon, carrying riders—at a cost of $50—from Runyon Canyon Road down to Fuller Road (a 500-foot drop). They aren't worried about an expensive tourist attraction popping up in a public park, though, so much as they're worried about the inconvenience to them, personally. Complaints centered on the noise (screams) neighbors believe the attraction would generate, as well as the effect on the view that the zipline platforms ("eyesores") would have in the canyon, the LA Times says.
Locals asked if "ball gags" would be provided for riders to dampen their yells as they careened down the canyon, and prodded the two sports marketing dudes behind the plan, Jeff Pruitt and Ryan Woods, about which local officials were backing the idea: "There is something that doesn't pass the smell test. If someone is encouraging you, we want to know, so we can go after them," the president of the Upper Nichols Canyon neighborhood association explained. Though Pruitt and Woods said before the meeting that they had chosen the Runyon Canyon site after consulting with City Councilmember Tom LaBonge's office, LaBonge now says "I firmly believe that this idea would be better suited for an alternative location than Runyon Canyon Park."
The proposed zipline route would run from Runyon Canyon Road down to the Fuller Gate, with riders shuttled in from the Hollywood & Highland shopping complex, where free parking would be available. One run on the zip line would cost $50. Pruitt and Woods have said that their shuttle would take anyone up to Runyon, whether they planned to ride the zipline or not, hoping this would sweeten the pot for neighbors in the area, which is already fairly congested with hikers' and residents' cars (it does have a permit parking zone). The pair also said that they would donate $700k plus 20 percent of annual revenue toward improvements at Runyon.
Despite the firm opposition to their idea at the meeting, Pruitt and Woods seemed undeterred by the reception the zipline received, chalking it up to NIMBYism. "Essentially, they are anti-development ... They don't want anything new." Hey guys, as long as you want to tangle with angry neighbors, why not build the zipline where it belongs, at the Hollywood Sign?
· A zip-line in Runyon Canyon? No way, Hollywood Hills West residents say [LAT]
· The Proposed Runyon Canyon Zipline Should Be Built By the Hollywood Sign Instead [Curbed LA]
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