By Mary O’KEEFE

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) has recently acquired about 33 acres in the Verdugo Mountains/Mountain Oaks property.

“Public acquisition of the historic 33-acre Mountain Oaks property at the eastern end of the Verdugo Mountains has been a multi-decade effort. It is a unique small lot subdivision resort dating back to the 1920s with the 100 individual lots eventually becoming abandoned in the early 1970s,” according to an MRCA Instagram post. 

“The City contributed $2.5 million in grant funds. [These were] Legislatively Specified Grant funds awarded to the City through the California Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) towards the $6.1M purchase. MRCA also received $2.5M in grant funds through Los Angeles County Proposition A and $1.1M in U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development federal grant funds that helped make this purchase possible,” stated Tereza Aleksanian, assistant director of Community Services and Parks with the City of Glendale. 

There are signs positioned at the edge of the property providing a QR code that links to an informational page concerning LA County Regional Park and Open Space District. It was this entity that gave some of the grant funds to make the Mountain Oaks purchase possible. 

The property will be maintained by MRCA and it will be open to the public as open space, according to Aleksanian. 

MRCA is a local government public entity established in 1985 pursuant to the Joint Powers Act. The MRCA is a partnership with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which is a state agency established by the Legislature, and the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, both of which are local park agencies established by the vote of the people in those communities, according to the MRCA website. 

Mountain Oaks is a mixture of secluded homes and open land that has an interesting history. 

“What we know about the past of Mountain Oaks is fairly murky. The story is pieced together from gossip, scraps of verbal memories and a couple of published interviews with descendants of the original owners. The known history of Mountain Oaks starts in 1929 when Emmet and Helen Kadletz, along with a partner, purchased the 45-acre parcel, formerly the site of a supposed speakeasy. The Kadletzes had owned a string of unusual businesses before this, including a mortuary, a Turkish bath and a miniature golf course, and they envisioned starting another unusual business,” according to Mike Lawler in “Mountain Oaks – The Lost Resort” published in CVW. 

About two decades ago there had been a proposal by the then developer/owner of the Mountain Oaks area to build a condominium community and college-prep high school. This proposal was faced with strong opposition from the community and the residents who owned homes in the area. 

That development was stopped but ever since community members have waited for further overtures. The hope had been that a conservancy, like Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, would purchase the land to protect it, and now that seems to have occurred. 

In a release from the City of Glendale, the city stated that, at the end of last month, the MRCA officially completed and closed on the acquisition of the largest portions of the property formerly owned by the Fortner Trust (Jimmie D. Fortner, David W. Fortner, Gary M. Fortner, Brett L. Fortner, or Robert S. Fortner, as co-trustees of the F.E.& M., Inc. Employee’s Defined Contribution Plan Trust).

“This major accomplishment marks a critical step toward protecting open space and natural habitat in the region. The acquisition was made possible in part due to the Glendale City Council’s proactive allocation of grant funding in advance of the final deal, ensuring that MRCA had the resources necessary to secure the property.  The City advanced the funds but will be seeking reimbursement through the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) as the City was awarded Legislatively Specified Grant funds through the 2022-2023 State budget in the amount $2,500,000 for the Mountain Oaks Open Space Acquisition.  

A special thank you was extended to the city’s Community Services & Parks Dept. who worked to ensure seamless coordination of all documentation, approvals, and logistics with MRCA and state officials under a tight timeline, playing a pivotal role in closing the transaction.

“We commend staff for their exceptional effort and dedication in helping bring this deal across the finish line,” said Onnig Bulanikian, director of Community Services & Parks.

The city will continue to work with MRCA on the stewardship of the Mountain Oaks property to ensure it remains a protected natural space for residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come.