Tuesday, March 20, 2007

I Am Wrong and I Apologize

I am very sorry that I have made too many comments about the lack of new R1 zoned housing within large developments in the City of Los Angeles.

There is one large development of R1 homes being built in the Westchester area of Los Angeles.

Standard Pacific Homes has Onewestbluff. You can find information about it at:
http://www.onewestbluff.com/luxury/index.php

The homes at Onewestbluff are luxury homes. I actually installed some phone lines last year at one of the model offices on the site. It is true that many of these homes have spectacular views. Some of the great views are of Playa Vista!

It is also fair to say that these homes range in price from about $1.870 Million Dollars all the way up to $2.8 Million Dollars.

It is my opinion that if R1 homes were built exclusively at Ponte Vista, prices of those homes would be probably in the range of $1.5-2 Million Dollars if they were about as luxurious at the homes at Onewestbluff. Homes with less luxury and a bit lower level of amenities would cost less, I feel.

So yes folks, there are still R1 developments being built in the City of Los Angeles. They are affordable to those folks who have the income to buy them, so it is quite possible to assert, as many folks who support Mr. Bisno's current vision that homes at Ponte Vista are "affordable."

Onewestbluff, affordable homes for those who can afford them. Ponte Vista, affordable homes for those who can afford them.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wasn't the question asked of Betsy about "major" R-1 developments in Los Angeles? Unless you can find some numbers somewhere which I couldn't find on the site, it doesn't look "major" to me. Just another little small enclave of rich folks. Why don't we stick to comparing apples to apples?

M Richards said...

Again I am sorry anonymous 10:18 PM, I am confused about what you are writing.

Do you believe that the largest development proposed within the limits of the City of Los Angeles since Playa Vista was approved is not a "major" development? Or, it is your opinion that Onewestbluff is not a "major" development of R1 homes.

Onewestbluff has many homes and you are most correct if you agree that it is not as many homes as Ponte Vista is currently planned.

One thing that is correct is that homes on the two sites of Onewestbluff are much more expensive than an R1 home would probably be if it is built at Ponte Vista. There are much better views at Onewestbluff that look out over much of the west side of the city and Santa Monica Bay.

I think the Web site for that development is www.onewestbluff.com. You might want to look at the site and check out the drawings. I think there are going to be hundreds of homes on the sites so I think that may qualify as "major".
MW

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. I've pored over the site for One Westbluff and can't seem to find any definitive numbers for how many of these things they intend to build. It could be hundreds, in which case the comparison to keeping Ponte Vista as R-1 would be a valid comparison. Or it could be something less. I can't seem to find enough information to proceed.

The floor plans and models seem gorgeous. However, I think the view would be a bit different. "...with panoramic settings encompassing the Ballona Wetlands and Playa Vista, the Pacific ocean, Marina del Rey, and metropolitan skylines from Century City to Los Angeles..." sure is different than a view of the VT Bridge and cranes.

Still, I think we need some numbers to quantify whether this would be "major". Don't you think? Perhaps a question for Betsy tomorrow night?

M Richards said...

Thanks anonymous 6:19 PM,

When I visited the site at Onewest bluff, there were a number of homes under construction and quite a few lots for homes. I only can use my estimate as to the number of homes actually going to be built there.

I hope I did not give the impression that because Onewestbluff is a collecton of single-family, detached houses, that Ponte Vista needs to be that as well. My point about the prices for houses at Onewestbluff could be used as an illustration as why an R1 type residential unit at Ponte Vista would be expensive as compared to other types of housing.

I am quite sure, unless somebody has a screw or two loose, that IF R1 remained at Ponte Vista, houses built there would not cost as much as houses at Onewestbluff, but I can agree that they would probably be over $1 Million Dollars each.

The point, I feel, the post and comments make is that there is actually a sizable development of R1 houses being built within the limits of the City of Los Angeles, but that development is not really around our area and the homes are as expensive as they are.

Cases for all sides of the Ponte Vista issue may be made citing Onewestbluff as an example and using that example to forward whatever position one wishes to make.

Personnaly, IF proper mitigation can be achieved, I don't think an entire Ponte Vista site of R1 housing fits any of my "four R's", as long as the need for more housing in the area can be proven.

I still consider that now is the time we all come together and really discuss the site to find the best set of numbers, types of housing and what is best for our community.
MW