In the mid-1980s, a group of concerned Eagle Rock residents and business owners found themselves shocked by increasingly irresponsible destruction of charming, pedestrian-friendly buildings and storefronts along our commercial boulevards and in our residential neighborhoods. Early-century storefronts were being leveled and replaced with strip malls, billboards had overtaken rooftops, drive-through eateries proliferated, and auto-related businesses were multiplying at an alarming rate, occupying sites that had for many years been home to a more diverse business base. The overarching issue at hand was the deterioration of the neighborhood’s “main street” feel, one of the defining fe. Historic homes were being demolished or remodeled totally beyond recognition. Something had to be done, and The Eagle Rock Association (TERA) was born.
TERA is a strong, broadly-based volunteer organization of hundreds of concerned community members who have come together to safeguard and enhance the quality of life in Eagle Rock. We have developed a vision for the future of Eagle Rock that focuses on sustainable growth, and this vision enables the community to meet the opportunities as well as the challenges of future development. In pursuit of community identity and pride, historic continuity, aesthetic integrity, public safety and services, and high quality of life, we have accomplished much since our inception in 1986. We sacrifice our personal and professional time to research facts, write letters, place phone calls, and attend various meetings and hearings throughout Los Angeles in support of or opposition to a plethora of issues that affect our town. TERA is well prepared to face all challenges, and we have a string of hard-won victories to show for our efforts.
TERA was instrumental in developing the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan, a city ordinance adopted in 1992 that set a new standard for development by putting a halt to mini-malls fronted by parking lots, drive-through restaurants, and auto-related businesses while encouraging improvement of existing storefronts and advocating an influx of more diverse, needed businesses with an eye toward a more pedestrian presence. We mobilized community opposition to the City Planning Department’s 1995 Northeast Community Plan update,; after many years of tenacious effort by both TERA and the Community Plan Advisory Committee, a Plan far more beneficial to the community was unanimously passed by the City Council in June 1999. TERA contributed heavily to the development and eventual passage of the Community Design Overlay ordinance, which allows community-based design standards to ensure integrity in future development in Los Angeles neighborhoods.
TERA prevailed in lobbying McDonald’s to move its proposed store from the corner of Colorado and Eagle Rock Boulevards to its present, better location at Figueroa and La Loma. We have succeeded in convincing other corporate interests to partner with the Eagle Rock community and consider our needs, not just their bottom line, when establishing a business in Eagle Rock. We helped create the Colorado Corridor Business Development Task Force, the forerunner of current business-district revitalization efforts.
We fought for the preservation of the historic Women’s Christian Temperance Union building on Laverna Avenue by helping to arrange for the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) to restore and occupy the property. One of our founding board members was largely responsible for obtaining landmark status for Eagle Rock’s Women’s 20th Century Club. We triumphantly worked with other local organizations to protect the Eagle Rock natural landmark from a proposal that would have placed buildings at its crown and restricted public access.
We heartily welcome you to Eagle Rock — L.A.’s home town!