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Lincoln Hills resident raises drainage and easement concerns after Hidden Hills construction; city staff to follow up
Summary
A Lincoln Hills resident told the Planning Commission that four large storm drain pipes installed by the Hidden Hills development discharge into a ravine behind her home and asked whether the developer had an easement and whether local flood risk or insurance could change.
During the meeting’s public comment period, Kathy Carpenter, a Lincoln Hills resident, raised concerns about drainage after construction at the nearby Hidden Hills development and asked whether the development had an easement to place large drain pipes on or across Lincoln Hills property.
"Hidden Hills has put in 4 huge drain pipes into our ravine," Carpenter said. She said the ravine behind Topanga Lane collects rainwater and that the new development’s streets and storm drainage will flow into the same ravine, potentially raising water levels near about 10 affected homes.
Chairman Herman Gilbert and staff told Carpenter she was in the right venue to raise the concern and that staff would pass her contact information to the city engineer. "We'll be happy to take her contact information off of her card, and I'll have the city engineer, Vin Kaye, reach out to her," one city staff member told the meeting. A staff speaker clarified that the pipes discussed were storm drains for rainwater rather than for household wastewater.
Carpenter said she had not received notice about the work, has lived on Topanga Lane for 20 years and asked whether the added runoff would change flood mapping or insurance rates for nearby homes. Chair Gilbert and staff said the city engineer would be the appropriate person to address easement questions and hydrology impacts, and staff offered to give Carpenter a contact card and to follow up if she did not receive answers.
Later in the Parkwood item staff provided contact cards and reiterated follow‑up options; the Parkwood team also offered to share contact information with Carpenter. The commission did not take formal action on Carpenter’s comments; staff recorded the request and committed to follow up with the city engineer.
No specific easement documents, hydrologic calculations or insurance analyses were provided at the meeting. The transcript records staff commitments to pass contact information to the engineer and to have the engineer contact the resident for technical follow‑up.
