Los Angeles policies have gotten so out of control that the city forced Rick Polizzi, a producer on The Simpsons, to demolish his beloved treehouse inspired by the show.
Polizzi’s treehouse had become a community staple in his Sherman Oaks neighborhood, with children flocking to see it almost every week, but last month, Los Angeles told him to demolish it amid complaints. Per KTLA:
Officials and nearby residents, however, aren’t as fond of the treehouse; legal challenges over permits and zoning have threatened its future. According to Polizzi, he built the treehouse 24 years ago and spent nearly a third of that time in a legal dispute that cost him $50,000 to defend and even led to criminal charges after a neighbor complained about the increased attention the treehouse was drawing.
Polizzi ultimately decided to give up after going to pre-trial earlier this year.
“We went to pre-trial [in January, and] it was just so frustrating,” he told KTLA “We did not get to have our say…When we left, I just said ‘I’m not going back to this trial. We’ll tear it down so that the case gets dismissed.’”
Polizzi began the demolition of his treehouse this past Saturday.
“I wanted it to look nice, fit in the neighborhood and be aesthetically pleasing,” he said. “I wanted it to bring people together, so we were always out here inviting people to come over and see it.”
“We got big crowds,” he continued. “We were a victim of our own success.”
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At least one neighbor told KRLA that she is sad to see it go.
“My son is 39 years old and we used to come here every Halloween in preparation for the big holiday,” she said. “With everything going on in the world right now, you have to figure out [a way to keep the treehouse up]…this is joy for our neighborhood. I am in mourning today.”
Attorney Paige Gosney told KTLA that even though they secured zoning permits for the treehouse in 2023, they were unable to obtain building permits from the Department of Building and Safety
“Staff wanted soil reports, structural designs, Americans With Disabilities Act compliance and all this stuff that is just kind of absurd,” Gosney said. “At the end of the day, this is a tree house, and it’s an existing tree house that has been there for almost 30 years.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
