Proposal for Massive Hollywood Hills Zip Line Goes to Neighborhood Council

A pair of Los Angeles-area businessmen will make their pitch for building a 2,900-foot-long zip line through Runyon Canyon to a Hollywood Hills neighborhood council tonight.

Jeff Pruitt and Ryan Woods will make a presentation to the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council during the group’s 6 p.m. meeting. Cyd Zeigler, vice president of the neighborhood council, told City News Service he hopes to hear a “full presentation” on the zip line plan, since he has only heard “whispers” about the proposal in recent months.

The neighborhood council does not plan to vote or take a position on the proposal during the meeting.

Pruitt and Wood said they approached the city Recreation and Parks Department last year about building a zip line in Griffith Park. After discussing the idea with Recreation and Parks officials and Councilman Tom LaBonge’s office, they opted instead to propose the line in Runyon Canyon, Woods told CNS.

The zip line would start at Runyon Canyon Road just east of the power line structure and drop gliders 500 feet into the canyon, Pruitt said, landing north of Fuller Gate -- a popular site for outdoor yoga classes.

Members of a Runyon Canyon Park booster group that raises money for the park plan to speak out against the idea at the neighborhood council meeting, although they didn’t elaborate on their specific concerns. But Pruitt and Woods said they hope to win over residents concerned increased traffic by running a shuttle from the Hollywood & Highland Center parking area, reducing the number of tourists using residential streets and parking along the roads.

“We want this to become the new way to get to Runyon Canyon,” Pruitt told CNS.

The pair also said they would donate $700,000 to fix trails, add bathrooms and make other improvements at Runyon Canyon.

Joe Salaices, superintendent of Recreation and Parks operations, said the proposal is in its “infancy stage” and city officials are still gathering information.

A formal application has not been submitted to the city, but if the city wanted to pursue the idea, there would have to be a competitive bidding process to choose an operator, and the proposal would undergo a public and “transparent” review process, Salaices said.

He said the city recently experimented with a smaller zip line at Venice Beach that was “somewhat semi-successful,” but it is “not at the same level” as the Runyon Canyon proposal.

Pruitt said the zip line would be one of very few in the country in an urban area, with most built in “remote mountain ranges or areas overlooking just water.”

The proposed Runyon Canyon zip line would offer “basically the best view in Los Angeles,” including downtown, the mid-Wilshire area, West Hollywood and “on a clear day you’ll be able to see the water,” Pruitt said.

OTHER PATCH HEADLINES

• Bomb Squad Investigation Closes Down 105 Freeway and 405 Transition
• ‘Mommy, Help:’ Woman Says Call Saved Her Daughter’s Life from Rapist
• Recognize That Crack? Burglar Caught With His Pants Down on Video
• Griffith Park Mountain Lion Tires of Mansion Crawl Space, Likely Prowling for Mate
• Famous Griffith Park Mountain Lion Shacks Up in Mansion’s Crawl Space
• Ground Crewman Trapped in Cargo Hold of LAX-Bound Flight
• Man Arrested for Making Bomb 405 Freeway Bomb Threat, Police Say
• Redondo Beach Man Killed Trying to Run Across 405 Freeway

City News Service

Get Patched in! Sign up for free news alerts for your town.

AGOURA HILLS | BELMONT SHORE-NAPLES|BEVERLY HILLS | BRENTWOOD | CALABASAS| CERRITOS-ARTESIA | CULVER CITY | HERMOSA BEACH | HOLLYWOOD | LONG BEACH | MALIBU | MANHATTAN BEACH | MARINA DEL REY | NORTH HOLLYWOOD-TOLUCA LAKE | NORTHRIDGE-CHATSWORTH | PACIFIC PALISADES |PALOS VERDES | REDONDO BEACH | SANTA MONICA |SHERMAN OAKS | STUDIO CITY | VENICE-MAR VISTA | WEST HOLLYWOOD | WESTWOOD-CENTURY CITY |WOODLAND HILLS