Outpost Estates Landscaped Traffic Islands Project
Enhancing the Safety and Beauty of Our Neighborhood
One of the current landscaped traffic islands on Outpost Drive at Castilian Drive.
Outpost Drive, our neighborhood’s main artery, has long faced dangerous motorist behaviors, endangering drivers, pedestrians, and wildlife. Originally without stop signs, motorist-to-motorist and motorist-to-wildlife collisions were frequent, but traffic calming measures including stop signs and landscaped traffic islands have improved safety.
In the late 1990’s, ONA (then “Outpost Homeowners Association”) negotiated a mitigation fee from TrizecHahn Corporation tied to the redevelopment of nearby Hollywood & Highland to address traffic safety in our neighborhood. With this funding, ONA oversaw the design and construction of five landscaped traffic islands at Castilian Drive (North and South), Hillside Avenue (North and South), and Outpost Circle which improve safety and beautify Outpost Drive. Some remaining funds from this agreement are earmarked for additional traffic calming measures.
Based on feedback gathered from neighbors through our neighborhood survey, many have expressed traffic safety to be among their greatest concerns in the neighborhood. Many also specifically want to see additional landscaped traffic islands built along Outpost Drive.
The next phase of this project will add three new landscaped traffic islands with irrigation on Outpost Drive at La Presa Drive, Chelan Place, and Mulholland Drive. Engineering and permitting are complete, but our next hurdle is to close the funding gap on the project so that construction can begin.
How You Can Help
Outpost Neighborhood Association (ONA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is an entirely volunteer-led organization, so 100% of donations support neighborhood initiatives and our minimal organizational overhead, maximizing the positive impact on our community.
ONA is raising funds through donations to cover the approximately $190,000 in costs to build the three landscaped traffic islands (about $64,000 per median). 100% of your donation to the ‘Outpost Estates Landscaped Traffic Islands Capital Campaign’ will go to cover the cost of constructing these landscaped traffic islands (see the outline of the budget for the project below). Your contribution will go directly towards making our neighborhood a safer, more pleasant place to live and every dollar brings us closer to a safer Outpost Estates.
Together, we can ensure that our streets remain a safe, vibrant, and enjoyable part of our community. Your support is crucial. Please join us in this important effort by donating today.
Thank you for your support!
Engineered drawings of the three new landscaped traffic islands to be installed in Outpost Estates as part of the next phase of the “Outpost Estates Landscaped Traffic Island Project.”
As of August 2024, the $190,000 project is currently 51% funded at $98,045 (the current funding goal status is shown above the donation form at the bottom of this page). Current funding comes from the following sources:
$49,107 of funds remaining from the TrizecHahn Corporation tied to the redevelopment of nearby Hollywood & Highland which is earmarked for traffic calming along Outpost Drive.
$25,000 in funds from the Los Angeles County Parks Foundation Hollywood Bowl Community Grant Program (read more about it here).
$8,938 in funds from Los Angeles City Council District 4 to cover city permit fees (read more about it here).
$7,500 in funds from NBCUniversal through a $7,500 matching grant (read more about it here).
$7,500 in funds from Outpost Estates neighbors.
$1,000 in donations are already committed! Ray and Dia Schuldenfrei have committed an initial donation of $1,000 both to help fund the project and to encourage others to do the same (read more about it here).
Taking into account the matching donation, our funding gap is currently about $91,000. We can fill our funding gap if:
100 neighbors donate $910
200 neighbors donate $455
300 neighbors donate $303
400 neighbors donate $227
Two of the current landscaped traffic islands on Outpost Drive at Hillside Avenue.
One of the current landscaped traffic islands on Outpost Drive at Outpost Circle.
One of the current landscaped traffic islands on Outpost Drive at Hillside Avenue.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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A: There are six main reasons why Outpost Neighborhood Association (ONA) aims to build additional landscaped traffic islands:
Safer Intersections: The intersection at Mulholland and Outpost Drive is particularly dangerous with its tight corners, narrow lanes, and fast-moving traffic. These conditions increase the risk of collisions, putting drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians at risk. ONA aims to reduce these risks by implementing measures that calm traffic and enhance visibility.
Emergency Vehicle Access: During rush hours and Hollywood Bowl events, our streets become congested with speeding vehicles, making it difficult for emergency services to navigate safely and quickly. By reducing the volume and speed of traffic, ONA helps ensure that ambulances, fire trucks, and police can reach those in need without delay.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety: From La Presa to Mulholland, Outpost Drive lacks bike lanes and sidewalks, yet it remains a popular route for those heading to Runyon Canyon Park. This creates a hazardous situation for cyclists and pedestrians. Improving this stretch will protect those who choose healthier, more sustainable modes of transportation.
Reducing Pass-Through Traffic: Many non-residents use Outpost Drive to bypass congestion on Franklin/Highland and access the 101 Freeway. This pass-through traffic not only wears down our roads but also contributes to the noise and pollution in our neighborhood. ONA desires to address this to preserve our community’s quality of life.
Enhancing Traffic Enforcement: Speeding, stop sign violations, and illegal turns are all too common on Outpost Drive. These traffic violations endanger everyone. With traffic islands, motorists will be encouraged to slow down to ensure that our streets are safer for everyone.
Addressing Tour Bus Nuisance: Tour buses and vans frequently traverse Outpost Drive, adding to the traffic woes and disrupting the peace with noise and congestion. With traffic islands installed, we can discourage these nuisances and restore tranquility to our neighborhood.
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A: Based on the past decade in which we have experienced first-hand the impact of five landscaped traffic islands that are substantially similar to the three we aim to install now, we know that these traffic islands have a significant positive impact on our community.
First, the landscaped traffic islands have led to slower average car speeds in the areas surrounding the traffic islands. The proposed additional landscaped traffic islands along Outpost Drive will provide a similar traffic calming solution, and we expect to see a measurable decrease in traffic-related incidents such as speeding, failure to stop at stop signs, and accidents between vehicles and cyclists, pedestrians, and wildlife.
As slower cars make less road-noise, we also expect to see an improvement in the quietness in the areas immediately surrounding the new landscaped traffic islands.
And, of course, we also foresee enhanced visual appeal of the street in these areas, giving a more residential feel to a street used as a cut-through during rush hour and Hollywood Bowl events.
We hope all of these intended outcomes come together to improve quality of life for residents, visitors, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and wildlife, even potentially positively impacting property values in the neighborhood. Any increase in property values as a result of this project would lead to an increase in property tax revenues on properties sold in the future, thereby helping to generate incremental funding for future programs and services at the city, county, and state level.
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A: Most road sections in the neighborhood don’t qualify for speed humps or speed bumps due to their steepness, but Outpost Neighborhood Association (ONA) continues to pursue speed humps in areas where the slope is appropriate and other physical and traffic conditions align with LADOT’s requirements for the Speed Hump Program.
See additional information about ONA's efforts on speed humps here.
Landscaped traffic islands are a recommended traffic calming solution: they make the approach to an intersection feel narrower so people will slow down and stop, they direct drivers away from the center of the road at intersections reducing the chance of head-on collisions, and they help deter drivers from passing others who are stopped at a stop sign.
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A: Homeowners and renters living in the immediate vicinity of Outpost Drive along the affected road segments are the target population and will directly benefit from improved aesthetics and safety from traffic calming. The project will positively benefit the residents of all 450+ homes in Outpost Estates to varying degrees by creating increased neighborhood connectivity, safer neighborhood streets, and possibly an increase in property values. As a neighborhood in Los Angeles interconnected to the city’s open space assets, we share our community with abundant wildlife—residents get to experience frequent sightings of deer, coyotes, and more in our streets and occasionally backyards. We expect this project will also help protect the diverse wildlife by reducing the likelihood of motor vehicle collisions involving wildlife.
Motorists will benefit from safer traffic conditions including lower speeds and reduced risk of head-on collisions around tight curves with limited visibility such as at Outpost Drive and Mulholland Drive: cars traveling in opposing directions will be directed away from the center of the road where the traffic islands are located. This includes both neighborhood residents and also commuters. For context, Outpost Drive is used daily by residents of neighboring areas and other motorists simply driving through the Hollywood area to get to their destination. Outpost Drive is used by many as a cut-through to travel between Franklin Avenue, Mulholland Drive, and the 101 to bypass Hollywood traffic, particularly near Highland Avenue where it intersects Franklin Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. Thousands of cars travel on Outpost Drive every day—thousands more do so on the evenings of Hollywood Bowl events to circumvent added traffic in the area.
Pedestrians and cyclists in the neighborhood will also benefit from increased safety via lower motorist speeds. Currently Outpost Drive is the spine of our neighborhood for traffic flow, but because walking on segments of Outpost Drive can be so treacherous, it also effectively divides Outpost Estates into distinct pockets of pedestrian activity and thus social connectivity. In particular, residents of Carman Crest Drive, Outpost Cove Drive, and Larmar Road form a cluster that Outpost Drive isolates from other interconnected pedestrian-friendly streets in the neighborhood. Chelan Drive, Chelan Way, and Chelan Place are similarly isolated. Residents who live on the upper half of Outpost Drive (toward Mulholland Drive) also have some of the most limited accessibility to a safe pedestrian experience. ONA anticipates that traffic calming achieved by the three traffic islands will increase safe pedestrian routes for residents of these pockets, greatly impacting quality of life in upper Outpost Estates and increasing neighborhood connectivity, both physically and socially.
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A: The engineering/designs were already paid for and completed during the first phase of the project. The remaining costs to construct the three new landscaped traffic islands is about $190,000 total (about $64,000 per traffic island). This is broken down as follows:
Services and Supplies: $176,000
This is broken down by:
$133,000 for construction;
$11,000 for water connection;
$8,000 for survey;
$8,000 for landscaping; and
$16,000 for traffic flaggers during construction.
Fees/Permits: $9,900
This is broken down by:
$9,000 for Inspection/City fees; and
$900 for a $33,000 bond to do the work. The bond is about $300 per month and it is assumed the project will take 3 months to complete factoring in city inspection/review time.
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A: While city funding would be ideal, limited resources and competing projects across the city make it highly unlikely that the city would fund the project—after all, the neighborhood is nearly 100 years old and the city hasn’t built or funded any traffic islands in Outpost Estates. We need to take action in order to protect and beautify our neighborhood.
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A: The project has the following phases:
ENGINEERING PHASE (Completed): Engineering has been completed by KPFF.
PERMIT PHASE (Completed): Designs and Class B Permit already done and valid through 11/25/25.
CONTRACT PHASE (Completed): The construction contract with JF Engineering has been completed and signed.
FUNDRAISING PHASE (In Progress): Fundraising is the biggest next step. Outpost Neighborhood Association (ONA) has raised approximately $90,000 from its stakeholder supporters over the years that has been earmarked for island creation and maintenance. ONA plans to fundraise for the remaining $100,000 by:
Supporter Donations - ONA plans to solicit funds from our stakeholders via pledge drive, auctions, and fundraisers.
Grants - ONA will apply for city, county, and state grants to fund a portion of the islands. We plan on applying for street, environmental, and neighborhood improvement grants.
Matching funds - ONA will apply to local agencies and entities for matching funds. By matching the funds that we raised from our stakeholder supporters, ONA hopes to reach a substantial amount of dollars to complete the islands.
CONSTRUCTION PHASE (Starts Once Fundraising Completed): Once fundraising is completed, ONA can obtain the bond for the project, and construction can commence.
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A: The three traffic islands are permitted as a single project and cannot be separated. To begin construction, we must secure a bond for the project which requires complete funding.
