I wish you all a good morning but come on, with the article that appears in today's Daily Breeze,
at: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_11067696 you now get a better grasp on Bob and his intentions, or lack thereof.
I think you might want to read the article, take a few moments to digest it, and then read it again.
Bob has claimed from day one that he would not provide any amenities or 'community benefits' if the site remains with its current zoning and only about 429 single-family, detached houses were approved for building.
When you read the article you can read for yourself that Bob would not provide those promised amenities and 'community benefits' even the the project were approved for 1,196-units a 279% increase over the number of units an R1 Ponte Vista could have.
He paid 252% of the opening bid for the land and now he would not be willing to keep his promises with 279% more units than the minimum number?
Bob is even attempting to scare folks into supporting his plans by repeating his claim that he would not be allowed to provide a road for Mary Star.
He is back to using scare tactics and veiled threats to have more people support a project that has been judged by urban planners and professionals in the Planning Department, as being too large of a density for the land and the area where the land is located.
How about his willingness to negotiate? Did that statement make you chuckle or hurl your coffee cup across the room.
If he really truly wanted to build up the area, why was he never involved in real negotiations with any group of people? Why in the world is he continuing to condemn Councilwoman Hahn for not negotiating with him when he has known since before April of 2007 that Ms. Hahn was not supportive of his plans?
Since the report was published, more than a few individuals have contacted me to suggest that Bob basically got what he really wanted with the recommendations the Planning Department offered up and that he was always intending to build only about 1,200-units in the first place.
I leave that issue up to your own beliefs, but getting just under 1,200-units and still not actually providing the amenities and 'community benefits' he has promised, is something to think about.
Today's article also can allow some folks to think that Bob will sell whatever entitlements he gets and that he has considered that, all along.
No amenities, no 'community benefits', no mitigation (read traffic mitigation), and no senior housing, while being able to leave the community with some profit and no really decent project, how does that make you feel?
I have created posts, illustrations, Google Earth-type photos of a roadway between the Ponte Vista site and Gaffey Street. As interested as Bob claimed to be with that idea, it went nowhere. What might that say about Bob's willingness to negotiate.
What do you think might have happened with the Planning Department Report had there been real plans and money set aside to provide such a roadway?
Please Bob, do not try at this late hour to offer to us your willingness to negotiate. As some of us have tried to actually work toward negotiating with you and creating some real compromises, we have heard nothing from you except what 'will' be at Ponte Vista.
Mr. Bisno, I have to repeat that I feel you did not 'work with the community' when you were unwilling to really deal with the COMMUNITY Advisory Committee.
It is true that some of the members of the Committee voted with an opposition vote to the Majority Report, but how many of those voters were business-type folks and members of the Chamber of Commerce?
It also appears that you focused on specific persons within OUR community to create your focus groups that became your advisory groups and you didn't seem to include anyone who have been that willing to oppose your plans. How is that for really negotiating with the community?
By now it seems to have been repeatedly demonstrated that taking the time and the city's money to deal with the City Planning Commission and the City Council with your current plans and application will be funds wasted and time not worth allowing for.
If the majority of the members of OUR community cannot now find that your current plans have absolutely no chance of approval, then something is a bit wrong, I feel.
How many more disapproval, denials, rejections, and roadblocks does anyone need to finally realize that Bob's current plans and application are unreasonable, unrealistic, irresponsible, and disrespectful to OUR community?
I noticed by the lack of comment by Bob in the article, that once again, the December 2 Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting is not mentioned by Bob, just as in the response to the report.
Perhaps Bob and his Outreach Team have thrown in the towel on that one.
2 comments:
All of us in San Pedro are following the progress of Ponte Vista. It is a large development with the potential to benefit our community and to provide us with a new kind of neighborhood. While I understand some of the concerns that Pedro residents have, I am completely shocked at the amount of time, effort, and energy some members in our community have put into bashing this project. I wish I had as much free time as you, Mark so that I could encourage people to give back to our community – especially during the holidays. We all know the non-profit organizations in our area are feeling the stress of the difficult economy, so why wouldn’t someone with endless amounts of time do something to promote community service? Rather than posing dozens of questions regarding Ponte Vista’s project, you should consider educating people about ways to help those in the Harbor Area that could really use some of our time and effort.
Thank you spsenior, for your comment.
I admit that I do not create many posts on this blog about other concerns in the San Pedro community.
I do have a growing list of posts on another one of my blogs that informs folks about issues and how they might be able to help others.
One campaign I wrote about was the "Big Give" campaign to help out San Pedro High School.
Now that I am retired, still looking for a new job, and having a long period of disability, I did and do have more time.
I have spent many hours volunteering to help out OUR community from being stressed by having a giant residential development approved of in northwest San Pedro.
I also spent many hours helping out one particular area of San Pedro from the ravages of blatant over development in a neighborhood miles away from where I live.
My volunteer work may not be to anyone else's liking, but I feel the time I spend, the money I have donated, the time and material used to create over 2,000 buttons so far for various causes, demonstrates to me at least, that I am continuing to volunteer for OUR community.
But you are most correct that there are many great causes and things that need to have more volunteer hours donated, rather than community/land use issues.
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