A community group has filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles to stop the construction of a basketball court the group say will "scar" the neighborhood "oasis."
The group, Citizens Preserving Runyon Canyon, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. The group alleges that the city's Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners "initiated discussions regarding the Project ... without any outreach or notice to adjacent neighbors and residents who would be impacted by the Project."
The park's neighbors want city officials to hold a hearing for residents to air their concerns about what they say is the commercialization of their urban "wilderness park."
They say construction will impact "noise, aesthetics, biological resources, recreation, traffic and land use compatibility," the lawsuit said.
"Our parks are suddenly up for sale," said Rob Glushon, the attorney who filed the lawsuit. "They're doing it behind closed doors, locked gates and armed guards."
Bob Mansell, who founded the Citizens Preserving Runyon Canyon, comprising residents in the Hollywood hillside neighborhood, claims residents were left out of the planning process.
"They hoodwinked us," said Mansell. "[The park] belongs to the people."
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The basketball court is part of a $252,000 public-private rehabilitation project funded by Ping Dolphin Clothing that includes a retaining wall, drinking fountains for hikers and their dogs and a new fence.
Neima Khalia, Pink Dolphin's chief executive, said he is donating because he wants to give back to his community.
The construction has been underway since the park closed this month for pipeline and road upgrades, according to the lawsuit.
