Odds and Ends #2

Well, writing this particular type of post every Sunday lasted just one Sunday. I have decided to write the Odds and Ends pieces on Friday or Saturday night in order to give my keyboards a whole day off each week.

This past week was somewhat fun and there is some news to pass along.

For those few regular readers who didn't hear about our newest "drive-thru" restaurant on Western Avenue, here is a small recap.

An elderly driver was attempting to exit the parking lot directly south of our local Coco's restaurant. As he turned too soon, his car collided with a vehicle traveling northbound on Western Avenue. The elderly driver attempted to regain control of his car by trying to hit the brakes. Unfortunately his foot landed on the accelerator pedal and he and his care went up on the sidewalk, between pillar out in front of Coco's, over some news racks, and right through the front of the restaurant, a few feet from the front door.

Thankfully, there were no patrons sitting at the booth the driver's car crashed over and no one, including the elderly driver was injured.

The CAC had a pretty good meeting on Tuesday night, learning more about how a specific plan is created, who actually creates the specific plan, and how our committee might offer suggestions that may or may not be included in a specific plan.

Mr. Bisno, again, referred to folks who felt R1 is the best zoning for the site, as "elitists".

On Tuesday evening, the CAC members, and everyone else in the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel learned a fact that Mr. Bisno would have probably not had revealed, ever.

One of the large points the Ponte Vista Development Organization is claiming is that there needs to be a lot of housing built in our area because there are so many jobs in our area and so many more jobs on the way. I believe many supporters of Mr. Bisno's plans want everyone to feel that we need a large development here in San Pedro because this is where the jobs are.

Mr. David Olivo, is an L.A. City Planner and a regularly attends the CAC meetings, tours, and other events concerning Ponte Vista because he is assigned to the Ponte Vista Project.

On Tuesday evening, while giving a presentation about the how's, why's, and where's of thinking about building a large development he gave us all some very interesting facts.

In the greater Los Angeles City area, there are 1.4 jobs per household. That means, for the entire City of Los Angeles, there is more than one job per home.

This is not the case for the San Pedro area, though. According to Mr. Olivo there is " much less than" 1.4 jobs per household in our community. He didn't have the actual, factual number available, but he assured the committee he would get the information to us and the rest of the community.

Well then, what does having less than one job per household really mean for San Pedro? It means that more people have to leave San Pedro to go to their work than have the opportunity of living near their jobsite, within this community. It means more commuters here than in other areas that have a higher jobs per household ratio. It means that any new development will bring in more residents that will need to commute to their jobs, because there are really, truly, and factually, not enough jobs in our area for the number of potential workers who live here.

It also means that if anyone tells you that more housing is needed here because this is where the jobs are, they are incorrect, according to documented facts that will be supplied by the Planning Department.

It also means that new residents, no matter where they choose to live in San Pedro will be faced with having to commute to their jobs. It means more traffic for them and the rest of us who live here, but don't work here. It means we need to really look hard at Traffic and Transportation issues for all the new developments, being planned, recently approved, or already under construction.

I hope Mr. Bisno and his organization will feel responsible enough to acknowledge what the City Planning Department's facts state and any and all advertisements and other correspondences stating the Ponte Vista should be built because San Pedro is where the jobs are, is false and misrepresents the facts.

Vesting Tentative Tract Map, Tract No. 63399 For Condominium Purposes, Proposed Subdivision. September 12, 2005.

This is the applicants map for a condominium development that would be commonly known as "Ponte Vista at San Pedro"

Lot #16 is mapped as the location for "Ball Field". This area is more commonly called by the developer and others as, "The 6-Acre Public Park." There have even been plans for having community members discuss what should be included in "the 6-acre public park."

By looking at the track map, Lot #16 is 238,012 square feet, or 5.46 acres in size.
The area of the public park can be rounded up to 5.5 acres or it can be rounded down to 5.0 acres. The actual, factual, and mapped size of the area is closer to being 5 acres than it is 6 acres.

The roadway between Western Avenue and the Mary Star campus has two sections. The route closest to Western Avenue and adjoining the majority of the boundary of the "6 acre park" is scheduled to be used by the public and residents of the development who choose to use the remotely controlled gate on the south side of the Ponte Vista development. The remaining length of the road is also considered a "community benefit" by the Bisno Development organization.

The Community Advisory Committee will meet again on Thursday March 8,2007 at the Crowne Plaza hotel to continue to write down and consider what they would like to see at Ponte Vista. As always, interested folks are welcome to speak at each meeting on whatever subject they choose.

Please consider posting a comment to either "Write Your Dreams Focus Group" or Write Your Nightmares Focus Group" or both, on this blog.

Thank you and congratulations to Tom F. who will be the first snail mail recipient of a comical "Four-star Ranting Elitist" button.