Monday, October 23, 2006

Comments on Comments

I've been commenting from time to time on comments left for individual posts. You can usually tell that a comment is from me because I end them with "MW".

I thought I would comment on some comments via a posting, so this is it!

The "Why Are You Here?" post was commented on five times and there is some very interesting input in the comments.
Kris wrote that Kris is buying property in the area an approves of Mr. Bisno's plans. I hope Kris becomes very familiar with the findings of the Western Avenue Task Force, as well as the upcoming Traffic Study and Draft E.I.R. for the Ponte Vista Project before escrow closes on Kris' property.
"Anonymous" is sure Mr. Bisno is really intending on building fewer than 2,300 homes. I would like to know where "Anonymous" was given information to make them so sure about Mr. Bisno's "real" plans.
"Mellonhead" wants to know from a "local" who thinks Mr. Bisno's plans will work for. Well, "Mellonhead", Kris likes the plans but Kris is not a "local" yet. I will come forward to let you know who Mr. Bisno's plans will work for. They will work for Mr. Bisno! But I guess he isn't really a "local", either.

I've read and heard comments from folks who think Mr. Bisno might only want 1,500 homes in Ponte Vista. I don't know where these folks get their information. I would like to know, though.

Kris and others have brought the idea of Podcasting the meetings to me. I have looked into that possibility a bit but I haven't done a real study to see if it is worth the expense to produce something that may only reach a small handful of people. I don't listen to Podcasts as a rule, but I may have a listen to a few in the future. I wouldn't hold it against anybody to take up the charge of Podcasting the meetings, so if someone out there is interested, please sally forth and saunter thusly.

I have been asked numerous times what my thoughts were on the actual number of homes Mr. Bisno is "really" planning to build. On this subject, I am taking Mr. Bisno at his past and current word that the number of homes is 2,300. He has acknowledged that studies and reports may show that the number 2,300 is just too many. But so far, Mr. Bisno is moving forward with 2,300.

That being written above, I need to comment on what Mr. Bisno can do. Mr. Bisno can do just about anything he wants. He has options that many people haven't thought about. I will expand on some of the things Mr. Bisno can do with his property.

Mr. Bisno can sell 15.03 acres of his land to the L.A.U.S.D. for their 2,025 seat senior high school. He can then get the school district to fund the road from Western to the new Mary Star of the Sea High School Campus. Mr. Bisno will then have 46.5 acres remaining to build on. He can have different lots with different zoning, so he may build condos and single-family homes.

Mr. Bisno can set aside a prescribed minimum number of units to be "Affordable Housing" as defined by the Planning Department. If he chooses to build a minimum number of those types of units, say out of the view of Western Avenue, he could use the newly enacted "Density Bonus" law to increase the number of units per acre. The L.A. City government is keen on more "affordable housing" and they look favorably on developers who are willing to place these types of homes on their property. City governors are always looking for more "affordable housing" in their areas to meet State and Federal mandates.

Mr. Bisno could possibly sit down at a table with Mr. Rod Hamilton from the L.A.U.S.D. and work out a land swap. L.A.U.S.D. would get the land to build a high school at Ponte Vista and Mr. Bisno would get a really wonderful piece of property at Angel's Gate to build his Senior Housing.

I don't know if Mr. Bisno could get back the money he paid for the land if he were to sell it today. He bought it for quite a bit more than the auctioneers thought it would go for. But he could sell the L.A.U.S.D. the 15.03 acres for somewhat more than he paid for that number of acres and just sell off the remaining 46.5 acres. This is the least likely scenario, I feel.

Mr. Bisno could indeed, change his plans and build fewer than 2,300 homes. The smaller number of homes would mean that each home would have to be priced higher than the surrounding condominiums and single-family homes in San Pedro.

Using the Site Plans submitted with Mr. Bisno's application for a zoning change, I found the overall density of the project to be approximately 37.38 homes per acre of land. That figure takes into account all land not built on such as park lands, streets, and common areas. If Mr. Bisno does end up loosing 15.03 acres of Ponte Vista to the L.A.U.S.D., he may want the same density figure for the remaining 46.5 acres. That would allow him to build as many as 1,738 homes. Try to imagine 1,738 homes AND a 2,025 seat high school!

2,300 homes is a big number. But if someone comes up to you and says that it is only just over 37 homes per acre, you might think that is not to high. 37 homes per acre is four times the density of R-1 zoning.

The Community Advisory Committee is scheduled to take a "road trip" on Saturday October 28. Members are going to be bussed to Playa Vista and hopefully other sites to get an idea of what a planned community of condominiums looks like. I'll report back when our tour is finished.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

When I said "local" I meant a Real San Pedran--someone who was born, raised, schooled, and worked here--like me.

Anonymous said...

Its ironic that by asking for a "local's perspective" we are asking those who have the least amount of it.

Leave for a while, live somewhere else, gain some perspective, and then come provide some fresh thoughts on the town you are so endeared to.

M Richards said...

Oh, Kris, Oh Kris,
May I please respond.
Yes I can be considered a "local."
But between the ages of 21 and 43 I did not live in the house I grew up in, which is the same house I live in now. Here are some of the places I lived, whether it was an apartment of a single-family house:
Biloxi, Mississippi
Highland, Ca.
Loma Linda, Ca.
San Bernardino, Ca.
Simi Valley, Ca (2 houses, one apartment)
Lawndale, Ca.
During that entire time, I had family members living in the house I currently live in and my first in-laws lived on Barrywood, in the lower Eastview section of San Pedro.
Yes, I am a "local." But I have lived in other places. I've lived in apartments and a house that were in low income areas while I was serving in the U.S.A.F. and beginning my work-life with the phone company. I have lived in a brand new house in Simi Valley when it was exploding with growth.
I think leaving for 22 of my 51 years gives me the perspective you want some folks to have.
My perspectives are from someone who has lived in low income housing to a brand new home in a fairly densely crowded, and ever growing city. I have dealt with very heavy traffic in my years with the phone company in places like Orange County and many places in L.A.
I would be curious where you have lived and see if any of those places compare at all, to the largely residential area where Ponte Vista is planned.
please download and study the findings of the Western Avenue Task Force. Please consider the effects on traffic if either Western Avenue or Gaffey Street have to be dug up to provide the utilities for a big project like Ponte Vista.
Please visit the local Albertson's parking lot on a busy Friday afternoon. Close your eyes and imagine 300 more drivers trying to find parking spaces in the already full lot.
It is always good to research where you want to move to and lay down roots so you can become a "local", too.
Be well.
MW

Anonymous said...

M Richards,

My comments were not directed to you or even Mellonhead directly, only his definition of a "Local". Mine (and yours) would probably not be so strict. I truly do value your knowledge, research and relatively unbiased opinions on the topic as I am not able to dedicate the same effort.

It just seems that the most negativity towards projects like Ponte Vista, the Vue, or any of the other attempts to improve the many decaying parts of San Pedro come from those who do have the least perspective. Those that are resistant to change and losing the mediocrity that surrounds them in fear that it will expose their own shortcomings in life. From my perspective, these are the opinions which should be valued least.

If your really interested in me, Im 28 and have lived in:

*Orange County, CA - born & raised, will always consider myself a "Local"
*Santa Cruz, CA
*San Jose, CA (& Surrounding Silicon Valley cities)
*Detroit & Royal Oak, MI
*Currently - Los Feliz, CA

Anonymous said...

Not that this is beat up on Kris day, but...
As a born and raised Pedro Boy who is married to a Pedro Girl and whose parents were born and raised here, all of whom have never lived anywhere else (and don't intend to), I think folks like myself have plenty of perspective on San Pedro. We know what we like about our town, and we have seen what the influx of apartment buildings and condos have done to San Pedro in the past decades. So I'd say we have great perspective on what does NOT work in a small town stuck in a corner down by the wharf that nobody outside of San Pedro cared about until they "discovered" this community. I am an absolute advocate for trying to keep what little we have left of the San Pedro that the real San Pedrans, that mellonhead refers to, have enjoyed for many generations. I'm not trying to spew out a "locals only" mentality, but sometimes, Kris, the locals can give you worldly "outsiders" perspective you never knew existed. Sorry if anyone made you feel like your opinion doesn't matter, but maybe you should look at many of the other homes and condos already available to purchase in San Pedro instead of waiting for Ponte Vista.
Anthony K.

M Richards said...

Kris, you have lived in some very densely populated areas. I worked in the Los Feliz area for years as a phone technician. I had relatives in that area I visited frequently. You also lived behind the "Orange Curtain" and in some pretty densely populated areas of Northern Cal. You know a lot about living in crowded areas.
Anonymous writes about life in a "small town." San Pedro has, for generations, been considered a "small town" because of its location and ethnic history.
When you finally move into the area you will be greated by families who have roots in Crotia and Italy, as well as Scandanavia and Japan. San Pedro has welcomed folks from all over the world.
One of the things that makes our area unique, in my opinion, is who we are physically remote from the greater Los Angeles area. When you move in you will start seeing news items concerning "escape routes."
As I have written in the past, San Pedro and eastern Rancho Palos Verdes is almost an island surrounded by dry land. If a major disaster were to hit the Tosco Refinery, two of the five routes out of San Pedro will be blocked. Folks would have to drive over the Bridge, north on Western Avenue, or around Palos Verdes Drive (driving through the landslide area) to get away. Palos Verdes Drive East would probably be too clogged with folks living higher on the hill to be considered by San Pedro residents.
In the Croatian and Italian families in the San Pedro area, everybody seems to be related to everyone else. These families of immigrants worked in the canneries, in the harbor, or fished, for generations.
San Pedro has always been a "working class" town. There are no universities in town, and we are at least as old as the Los Feliz area. We still maintain a "small town" attitude in many parts (but not all) of San Pedro.
While it is true there are many condominiums on or near Western Avenue, how much more housing can the area absorb before the camel's back is broken.
I wished you had driven along Western when the storm drains collapsed. You would have experienced just a taste of what might happen is large developments are built in northwest San Pedro. I also will concede that there are already construction site being worked for more condos and even a high school. These projects were in the works for some time. The condo project being built along Western Avenue currently has an unacceptable route to Western that must be mitigated before anyone moves in.
There is what seems to be an explosion of condo construction in central/downtown San Pedro. I hope the future residents of these homes have the infrastructure to meet their comfort demands. They will surely have the best Italian food available anywhere in the world.
If you want more information about the northwest part of San Pedro, I encourage you to visit http://nwsanpedro.org. Perhaps, if you are moving into their area, you might wish to join that neighborhood. It is one of the best in the City of L.A. and I can't even join it.
Kris, there are groups that favor Mr. Bisno's plans for Ponte Vista and you may wish to contact one of them through www.pontevista.com. You are important because you already care about a place you are looking forward to moving into. I want you to have the best facts you can have before the moving van arrives in Los Feliz
MW

Anonymous said...

Hello,

A question you might want to raise on your trip to playa vista's people are:

how much money did you spend on traffic mitigation? Relative to ponte vista (which is a smaller project), what would that equal?

-- my guess is, it's a hell of a lot more then the 3 million bisno development is offering.

Anonymous said...

Janice Hahn already receives the highest salary in the nation for city council members ($150,696.00) and an outstanding benefits package and other perks. And on top of this, she will soon receive an 8.5% raise PLUS a 4.9 % cost-of-living increase. So taxpayers will soon be paying her and each of her fellow LA City Council members $171,648.00 annually for their services (by far the highest in the nation). Since she is paid to listen to us and we are subsidizing her high salary, don't be shy about contacting her office to tell her that any zone change from R-1 at the former Navy housing site is unacceptable!