The second Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting concerning Ponte Vista was held.
Like I expected, the meeting was organizational in nature. Members were introduced to our facilitator, Mr. Victor Griego, and he explained his job and expectations of the group.
Members also completed an exercise to establish our "story" and find common paths forward within the group.
Now as I remembered from the first meeting, Janice Hahn got up in front of the group, Mr. Bob Bisno, and members of the public and stated that the group was going to write the specific plan for Ponte Vista.
BOY, WAS I WRONG, BUCKO!
It seems this is the way it is really going to work:
Mr. Bisno and the Bisno Development Corporation will submit a specific plan written by their lawyers and advisors and submit it to the city's planning commission. The planning commission has stated they would use our group's recommendations when they draft the true specific plan that will be presented to the planning commission for a vote. If the planning commission approves that specific plan, then it will be forwarded to the City Council for a vote.
Where does the group come in? We will make recommendations to the commission and to Mr. Bisno to assist both of them to come up with a plan that is most acceptable to our group and the community we represent.
Where do you come in? We need total support from the community to establish that our recommendations are in the best interest of the existing community on the whole. Members of the planning commission stated that they take community input seriously when drafting specific plans. We need everyone to show that they want total public involvement in the creation of the specific plan. Whether you agree or disagree with individual members of the group, we all need to know that we have a strong San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes public supporting our goal to have the best possible outcome for our community.
Mr. Bisno is paying premium dollars with the specific plan concept of development. He gets individual support from the city planning commission and goes to the front of the line with the applications processes.
Next week's meeting will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. on the forth floor of the Municipal Building. We will be receiving a presentation by the L.A. City Planning Commission on how a specific plan is drafted, legal issues, and the roles the commission has in the process. We will also deal with more organizational items. The meeting should end at 9:00 p.m.
Public comment was discussed during tonight's meeting.
Tonight we had two speakers address the group. One person was very critical of Mr. Bisno's piece in last Saturday's More San Pedro Guest Column. The other person was the leader of the SRHS #14 project. He appreciated being welcomed by the group. In all the discussions concerning Ponte Vista, we must never fail to consider the 50,000 ton gorilla that is the proposed high school.
P.S. Don't forget to have a look at this Saturday's More San Pedro.
4 comments:
"Members of the planning commission stated that they take community input seriously when drafting specific plans"
I hope this is not just: Your call is important to us, please stay on the line..[hangs up in frustration]
Thanks for the info. I look forward to the next More. Generally, is the advisory group opposed to 2300 condos? Seems to me that I recall even Janice Hahn stating publicly she is against this proposed density. And I hope the city bureaucrats (who probably lives miles away from SP and RPV) are not already bought and paid for.
let the co-opting begin!
here are some questions that should be asked:
1. how many units does janice hahn support?
2. who the hell is that victor griego guy?
3. is bisno going to support the inclusion of a light-rail line to san pedro in order to alleviate the congestion and traffic from his project?
4. why is jack baric on the committee since he was quoted in the papers saying "i don't even know much about the project?"
5. would bisno appreciate having 2,300 new neighbors on his street?
Here, in my opinion, are answers to the five questions you posted.
1. I haven't got the foggiest clue. The majority of respondents to a survey stated they supported only "R-1" zoning. Most candidates for future office seem to follow the majority, oh, I means voters.
2. Victor is a former candidate for L.A. City Council has actually has experience as a facilitator. He also has knowledge of the workings of the bureaucracy with L.A.City government.
3. I feel Mr. Bisno would support any and all mass transit proposals that wouldn't cost him a dime. Especially if it directly benefits folks moving into his planned community.
4. Maybe Mr. Baric wants to learn more about the project and his membership is the best way he feels he can learn the most, in this "port town."
5. I don't know. He may indeed have 7,343 neighbors living in 2,300 homes on his street. Of course, he probably lives a long way from any of them, up a long, gated, exclusive, possibly guarded, definately video monitored, very private driveway.
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