Rural Tract Loses Bid to Forgo Street Lights

County officials have refused to exempt a new housing tract near Mulholland Highway from a requirement to have street lights, a county spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The county Department of Public Works reviewed the need for the street lights because the National Park Service and nearby homeowners said the lights would diminish the rural character of the area, which includes the Park Service’s Peter Strauss Ranch.

Officials decided that the 27-home subdivision next to the ranch should not be exempted from county ordinances that require curbs, gutters, sidewalks and street lights for tracts of that size, spokeswoman Jean Granucci said.

“The principal purpose of street lights is to provide adequate nighttime visibility,� Granucci said. “Proper street lighting is to provide a deterrent to both vehicle and pedestrian accidents, and it’s also considered to be a factor in the prevention of crime.�

The Park Service is concerned about the way illumination will affect the nighttime ambience of the Strauss Ranch, said David E. Gackenbach, superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, of which the 70-acre ranch is a part.

“It’s probably more of a concern that we’re adding more illumination to the whole mountain range, if this becomes a precedent,� Gackenbach said. He said he will bring the matter up Thursday with County Supervisor Ed Edelman.