Politics & Government

Proposed Zip Line for Venice Beach Moves to Front After 175-Foot Ferris Wheel Plan Stalls

Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl asks that a proposal for a zip line on Venice Beach be presented to the Venice community after 175-foot tall Ferris wheel proposal is stalled for more vetting.

The plans for a 175-foot tall "Great Observation Wheel" on Windward Plaza needs more vetting, but a proposal to install a zip line that will let people fly over Venice Beach as early as this summer will be presented to the community, Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl said Friday.

Rosendahl said he has instructed his staff to work with the Department of Recreation and Parks on the zip line proposal after it became clear that a United Kingdom company's plans for a giant Ferris wheel on Venice Beach needed more vetting.

A zip line would provide another additional element of fun and excitement, Rosendahl said, and could generate revenue this summer to help the city maintain restrooms and garbage cans on Venice Beach, which attracts roughly 16 million visitors a year.

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Rosendahl said that he has asked Venice Neighborhood Council President Linda Lucks to put the zip line proposal on the board's May 15 meeting agenda to see how the community feels about it.

"It's two towers and wire across it and they say you fly like a bird," Rosendahl said. "It's a simple enough concept and easy enough to put on."

Find out what's happening in Venice-Mar Vistawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rosendahl said he was worried about having basic funds for restroom cleanups and garbage collection on Venice Beach given the city's dire economic situation and was looking for a revenue stream this summer.

"We're in the worse budget situation," Rosendahl said. "No more games to play, no more gimmicks. We are in a tough spot and I want to be able to clean those garbage cans two or three times a day and those bathrooms and that costs money. The city is in a tough spot."

He said that he had not formed an opinion on the "Great Observation Wheel," but noted it is a bigger project with numerous impacts that would require "a lot more vetting."

He asked that the zip line project be placed on the front burner for this summer, while the "Great Observation Wheel" be put on a "burner that requires more time."

Nigel Ward, head of global site Development for UK-based Great City Attractions, said Friday in an email that he had not heard about the developments and declined comment. The group hoped to put up the wheel, which could be installed in 10 days, on Venice Beach this summer.

The proposal was largely met with skepticism at a community meeting and this week's Venice Neighborhood Council meeting.


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