Several high-level City representatives communicated about what is currently happening with the Ponte Vista at San Pedro issues going forward.
Here is some of the timeline/information that was revealed.
The hearing officer is still drafting his recommendation. This recommendation will include either approval or denial, as well as an analysis that will most likely include a number that the department would be more willing to accept. However, just having the number in the analysis does not mean that a project of that size will be accepted--all of the other factors will still have to be considered.
The report will be ready for the Harbor Area Planning Commission on November 18.
The recommendation is anticipated to be going before the Los Angeles City Planning Commission on December 11.
After the L.A.C.P.C. makes its recommendations, all of the recommendations will go to the Planning and Land Use Committee of the Los Angeles City Council.
Sometime after the Committee deals with the project, it will move to the full City Council.
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I am taking first crack at providing commentary to the information found above.
Anyone is more than welcome to create their own comments or even provide their own post concerning the information.
The hearing officer is still drafting his recommendation. I am surprised by this sentence.
Perhaps many of us thought that the hearing officer had finished drafting the recommendations some time ago. Maybe so much information was provided to him verbally and in writing that it is taking much longer than many imagined it would.
This recommendation will include either approval or denial, as well as an analysis that will most likely include a number that the department would be more willing to accept.
This sentence was not a surprise to me and it illustrates that something will be coming out of the Planning Department with regards to a possible number of units the Planning Department is willing to suggest going forward with.
However, just having the number in the analysis does not mean that a project of that size will be accepted--all of the other factors will still have to be considered.
I find that sentence very interesting and powerful. It means that the Planning Department is not just going to throw out a number and then not deal with the "other factors" it feels are very important.
The sentence also suggests that there may be some doubt that the project would be accepted by the City Planning Commission, the Planning and Land Use Committee, and/or the L.A. City Council.
What is also read between the lines of the statement is that the Planning and Land Use Committee, then the full L.A. City Council will most likely not deal with Ponte Vista at San Pedro until sometime in early 2009.
'Back in the day' Bob anticipated building would already be underway in 2009, with the first phase of the project.
I don't think Bob or anyone else anticipated the economic problems we are all facing now and perhaps holding off construction or the talk of construction is good for everybody, right not.
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The Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting concerning anything to do with Ponte Vista at San Pedro is problematic on its face.
That body has only five members. It is strongly believed that at least three of the members must recuse themselves from dealing with Ponte Vista on the Commission because of their ties to groups supported by funds from Bisno Development, LLC, the developers of Ponte Vista at San Pedro.
There could be some real ethics violations occurring if there is a meeting and especially a vote to approve the project, by that Commission.
For many members of OUR community the Harbor Area Planning Commission is a 'stacked deck' in favor of Bob's plans and is not impartial, objective, or able to deal with the project reasonably and responsibly.
If the Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting attempts to go forward considering the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project, it will have to meet under the watchful eye of the L.A. City Attorney's office and some 'watchdog' agencies.
A post may be created soon regarding the membership of the Harbor Area Planning Commission and some of its members past and current ties to Bob Bisno and his project.
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R Neighborhoods Are 1 is still strongly seeking donations to its defense fund, fighting against Bob's massive project.
Please visit. www.rneighborhoodsare1.org and make your donation. We are a long way from having the funds necessary to deal with all the legal teams and hurdles Bob and his bunch will throw supporting his vision for One Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty condominium units on just 61.53 acres of land in northwest San Pedro.
Bob still want to have the population of San Pedro increase by more than 10% by building on less than One Tenth of One Percent of land in San Pedro.
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When we consider the prospect of population increased in San Pedro, it needs to be understood that Bob's plans include a great deal of 'back-filling' of people in San Pedro.
With Bob's older "San Pedro First" plan, and his current plans, he wants to have San Pedro residents move from their older homes in San Pedro to Ponte Vista, in San Pedro.
Then he wants residents to come to San Pedro and fill the old homes left vacant by those who move from San Pedro to San Pedro's Ponte Vista.
Of course, Bob has not revealed the number of bedrooms he wants built at Ponte Vista, so we have absolutely no real idea of the potential population of Ponte Vista, do we?
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Another store has opened where anyone living or working at the Ponte Vista site MUST use Western Avenue to access the new store.
I can't imagine that nobody from the site offices has not visited our new Target Store on Gaffey Street yet.
These are the last hours to access the parking lot before it really becomes full during the rest of this weekend and on into the future.
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Bob and the Ponte Vista gang has graciously supported the arts in San Pedro and I thank him and everybody for that.
www.sanpedroissuestoponder.blogspot.com has a new post about "Bat Boy, the Musical" that opened last night at the Warner Grand Theater.
The post also includes "School for Scoundrels" opening tonight at the Little Fish Theatre Company's theater in downtown San Pedro.
Bob and Ponte Vista have supported the arts in OUR community and I hope he and his group continues to do that.
We all know that he is trying to attract more support for his proposal, but it doesn't seem to be working all that much.
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I haven't heard Bob or Elise's take on Mayor V.'s proposals for more 'affordable' housing in Los Angeles.
Ponte Vista has been designed for "Market Rate" housing and I haven't found any component of that project that would be set aside for truly 'low income' housing or housing specifically designed for families bringing in the Mayor's idea of "$90,000" per year of income.
Now there MAY be condos at Ponte Vista that would be in the price range of those making around $90,000 per year, but I doubt that an entire family with children, would want to live in a studio, loft, or one-bedroom unit.
I still imagine that the median cost of a unit at Ponte Vista is currently priced around $475,000, but it may be somewhat higher.
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