Bob's Blog Regret and More

Bob had a statement released on the blog supporting his plans.

He offered his regret that he will not be able to do what was his "original plan".

I must have missed something in June of 2007. I thought I heard Bob telling everyone about his 'new' plan he created for 1,950-units.

Does Bob really regret not keeping his 2,300-unit plan?

We see it again in Bob's statement that he would not offer his promised community benefits including a right of way between Western Avenue and Mary Star High School.

Now here is the irony with this bit of information. Bob won't be able to provide access from Western Avenue to Mary Star, but I'll bet he will seek pedestrian and bicycle access across the Mary Star property for kids and others to get between Ponte Vista and Taper Avenue and Taper Avenue Elementary School.

According to Bob's statement, he is still going for some size of a project but without providing the amenities and community benefits he promised.

Could this have been his plan all along?

The statement is also critical of the Planning Departments recommendations for an up to 1,196-unit project IF a density bonus is applied and it looks like Bob may want the high number of units without the density bonus.

He claims that "310 home for low-income families" is too many for a development of about 1,200-units. It's a "heavy burden" when it is more than one out of four units at the site.

He goes on to claim that Ponte Vista under the Recommendations would mean it "leaves out the teachers, fire-fighters, police officers and union families that Ponte Vista provided for in its proposed specific plan."

I think there are less experienced members of all of those working groups that may just qualify for some real 'low-income' housing. I know there are union families that really don't make a whole lot of money.

Maybe Bob wanted a more employment-segregated type of community that had 'working families' that are the teachers, fire-fighters, police officers and union families. He then probably wanted his upscale town houses being bought up by doctors, lawyers, and business executives.

That would leave his senior section for the two groups that made up the folks in the last paragraph, when they got older.

So it may actually be that Ponte Vista was supposed to me lived in by higher-paying blue collar type jobs, career professionals and executives and then all of those who did those types of work before they retired.

Hey Bob, there is a whole lot of other professions, workers, and families that don't fit into the job categories described here that also want beautiful and new homes. What about them?

The statement also reveals that he is still trying to get entitlements for the largest number of units he can while claiming he will not be able to offer traffic mitigation.

Say what?

It should be made perfectly clear to everyone that if you are going to build up to 1,196-units on buildable land within a 61.53-acre site along Western Avenue, you WILL provide some, if not all of the traffic mitigation the current developer promised.

Bob's statement also left out any mention of the December 2, Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting. It was my understanding that the folks at the Outreach Team were making grand plans to bus folks between Ports O' Call and the theater when the meeting was scheduled for November 18. It just goes to show that when a report is released that blows smoke, or perhaps an inferno at your plans, you may not want so many opportunities for that plan to continue being commented on.

Bob stated that he is willing to work on a plan that "makes sense for all of us". Bob didn't seem willing at all to work on three different plans that came up in early 2007. He didn't even take the time to have any of his folks do any real evaluation on those three ideas.

If he is/was really willing to work on plans that would work for all of us, why hasn't he really tried to do so, even more recently? He continues to suggest that Councilwoman Hahn won't meet with him yet I haven't seen any plans created by a large group of differing minds to present to Ms. Hahn in the first place.

I have always stated that I am willing to be one of those in OUR community who is willing to work WITH Bob on new plans. My plan calls for some senior housing and no R1, yet I haven't heard from Bob or Elise, or anyone else on his Outreach Team to help come up with more plans.

I guess he only wants to work on alternative plans or compromises with folks who generally agree with his first two plans. I don't have any evidence to the contrary.

To end his statement, Bob reiterated that he continues to want to build a "resort style master planned community".

Geese, I thought that we are in a housing crunch, L.A. needs all the housing it can get built, the economic times remain uncertain for who knows how long, but Bob still wants some kind of resort style living accommodations provided.

And WE are supposed to put up with a "resort style" housing project along Western?

REALLY!

In fairness, because I quoted directly from the blog, here for the first and hopefully last time is the URL for Your Ponte Vista: http://www.yourpontevista.com/

**Note to Bob**

When you use the words "resort style" when you know there are at least 11,000 people in the area who have never liked your plans in the first place.....you don't get any 'atta boy' points in OUR community. And to top it off, it kind of makes your supporters look like elitists, the same word you used on me, Doug, and many others.