Odds and Ends 195

We are all down to the final ten days to submit comments to the Initial Study.

I have not done a very good job so far and reading my copy and creating lots of comments.

This is the final weekend for "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro.

On December 3 at Little Fish Theatre, also in San Pedro, a hilarious comedy that has elements of The Marx Brothers meet "Home Alone" bumbling robbers entering the world where there may be some "Importance of Being Earnest".

The two shows have eaten up quite a bit of my time in the recent weeks and several months and I hope you all take the opportunity to attend a performance of both shows.
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Terri and I are very sad to see a vacant storefront where Z-Pizza used to be.

It sat between the Egg Roll King and Coldstone Creamery and we enjoyed the thin crust pizza and other food offerings.

I guess their pricing structure could not compete with the often discounted prices offered at Little Caesar's, Pizza Hut, and other similar businesses.

I am pleased that there are few empty businesses along Western and I hope the economies of both San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes improve in the coming months.
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I have no new news to report concerning what might happen with motor vehicle traffic along Western Avenue associated with Marymount College and their off-campus housing facility along Palos Verdes Drive North, between Five Points and Western Avenue.

There is some speculation among some R.P.V. residents that a slate of candidates supporting on-campus housing at Marymount College will run in the 2011 election for three of the five seats on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council that will have current members termed out.

I have been reassured that the Marymount College Traffic and Parking Section of the college's Expansion Project will be included in the new Traffic and Circulation Study Section of the Ponte Vista at San Pedro Environmental Impact Report.

With or without on-campus student housing at the college's Palos Verdes Drive East campus, daily trip generation will continue to increase between the 'Palos Verdes North' off-campus student housing site and the college campus.
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If you drive south along Western Avenue, near First Street and there is water in the roadway, you usually have the chance to see an optical illusion.

Between First Street and the intersection of Weymouth Avenue, there is sometimes a gathering of water just next to the southbound fast lane and center median.

If you stop at the First Street intersection and look at the puddle, it appears to be on the incline portion of Western Avenue.

Since stopping or driving along through the First Street intersection means you are going downhill, your eyes tend to fool you into thinking that the water is not at the bottom of the decline/incline, but it really is.

There have been other optical illusions in the area, especially on that has been gone for some time on Miraleste Drive/9Th Street.
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Odds and Ends 194

The Wednesday evening Scoping Open House for Ponte Vista at San Pedro was fairly typical of other Scoping meetings/Open Houses, including the first one for Ponte Vista.

The one remarkable thing I am taking away from the event is seeing Mr. David Shinder returning as the project's Traffic Engineer.

Even though there are a few representatives of the new development company who may not belive what I told them, I really did ask Mr. Robert H. Bison why his originale number of "2300" was the number of units he orginally applied to build.

Bob and I were seated next to each other on the return trip from an 1100-unit Apartment complex that was the model for the Bob's original designs.

As we rode south on the 110 Freeway to view another complex as a comparison, I asked Bob Bisno directly my question of why was the number of "2,300" selected.

His response directly to me was that he asked his Traffic Engineer, Mr. David Shinder, what was the most number of units that could be built at Ponte Vista at San Pedro by doing every one of the traffic mitigation elements proposed.

Bob Bisno said that according to Mr. Shinder, 2,300-units could be built as long as all traffic mitigation was applied.

Now I heard the word "lie" used by an unnamed representative of the current development team as to the truth of Bob's statements to me.

But I was sitting next to Bob when he offered what he offered, and I didn't feel I needed any more questions about the number of units he was considering at that time.

I do have photos of the group that toured the Newport Beach complex and Bob is in some of the photos.

One of the most heated parts of the debates concerning Ponte Vista was, is, and will be traffic.

There was little, if any, respect for the numbers generated in the first Traffic and Transportation Study part of the first Environmental Impact Report.

Why the new development team continues to use Mr. Shinder and his firm as their Traffic Consultants does not work with my considering the explaination I got on Wednesday night as to why Mr. Shinder is still around.

After Bob Bisno's departure and Mr. Alan Abshez's departure, I would have thought Mr. David Shinder would have been and maybe should have been, the third departure.
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Most of the folks who attended the Open House I would refer to as, "the usual suspects".

Naturally I am a proud member of that group and it seemed revealing just a bit that the majority of those I saw in the auditorium were opponents of all of the previous plans coming during "The Bob Years" and Mr. Ted Fenton's tenure as developer.

There were some familiar faces of those who supported whatever the plans were for Ponte Vista as far back as 2005.
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Please remember that you have until November 29, 2010 to get your comments on the Initial Study and Scoping Session to the Los Angeles City Planning Department.

No matter what your opinions and comments are, they are important and will be published in legal documents regarding the project.
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Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council has a new site address. It is www.cspnc.org and that goup was opposed to the plans coming from Bob Bisno.

I do not believe that Council has taken a position on the newest parameters of the project.
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Mr. Shinder did confirm to me that the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project's Traffic and Parking Section of its Environmental Impact Report will be included in the new Traffic and Transportation Study for the Ponte Vista at San Pedro Development.

This is a good thing for all of us because it means that newer dialy trip counts along Western by those driving to and from Marymount's campus will be studies and this was something that could not be done for either the Marymount E.I.R. or the original Ponte Vista at San Pedro E.I.R.
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I was very pleased to find a much more supportive attitude towards community members by everyone representing Ponte Vista at San Pedro at Wednesday's gathering.

I do think that the new Director of Communications for the Project might have his hands full trying to deal with R Neighborhoods Are 1, which has its Steering Committee back into having meetings. I also think challenges and issues by those stakeholders of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council might test the new fellow a bit.

It is still quite apparent that all five local Neighborhood Councils have the history and information to work with the folks at Ponte Vista towards having a nicer and better relationship between them and the new development team.

I it still to be determined whether the Communications Director would be invited to and/or accept an invitation to attend any meeting of the Steering Committee of R Neighborhoods Are 1.
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I'm Still Looking

Now where did I leave my "Major Ranting Elitist" button I last wore during "The Bob Years"?

This post is my way of informing readers that the Steering Committee of R Neighborhoods Are 1 is back to the business of working to find ways to support the best Ponte Vista at San Pedro development for the entire community and not just developers of the 61.53 acre site.

Tonight many members of the Board will be at the Peck Park Community Center for the Scoping Meeting, and you should be there, too.

We all need the best and most complete information possible to determine whether the new plans for the site could benefit or impede our community's movement forward in peace and harmony.

While we appreciate the much lower number of units planned that what was attempted to be forced on us during "The Bob Years" the number is still too high and the types of housing are problematic and some are far too tough to swallow.

I wonder if Ms. Linda D'Ambrosi will attend and speak at the meeting. She was recently featured in a Daily Breeze article and she was the one who stated, matter of factly that; "Bob Bisno is going to save San Pedro"! It would be interesting to see if she speaks about the new plans or is too busy representing more Trump housing in the city where she actually lives, Rancho Palos Verdes.

I leave this post with the reminder that 831-total units at Ponte Vista would be equal to the dwelling density of The Gardens, so very close to Ponte Vista's Western Avenue address.

Odds and Ends 193

We have been informed that the Email address to send in your comments to the Notice of Preparation was incorrect.

The correct Email address is: Hadar.Plafkin@lacity.org.
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This is what has been consuming all my waking hours and some of my dream time this past week:

Click on image to enlarge.

Our production of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will star Ms. Kristin Towers-Rowles, the granddaughter of the late Ms. Kathryn Grayson.

The cast is fantastic, if I write so, myself and the role of "The Preacher" is played by a fellow who was last seen onstage as "The Dominee", another cleric part.

This production can be enjoyed by the entire family and I hope to see you before a performance as I greet you in my costume, probably holding a Bible.

Incidentally, there is a free performance at Noon on Thursday November 11 for folks like me who are 55 year's of age or better.
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The Scoping Meeting is still planned for Wednesday November 10, 2011 inside the Peck Park Community Center's auditorium/gym/big and stuffy room.

It is an important meeting for all of you who are interested in learning more about the newest plans unveiled in more detail last week.

If you haven't been through any of the "rounds" during "The Bob Years" and want to know more about the California Environmental Quality Act, (CEQA) and how the processes should work beginning with this meeting and potentially ending with a vote by the members of the Los Angeles City Council granting or not granting approval of plans via a new municipal code that includes zoning changes, this meeting is even more important for you to attend.

This meeting is also the physical event in conjunction with the creation of comments by you and others to the Notice of Preparation which is probably online now and you will get more specific addresses to view or download the document, this coming Wednesday.

Historically, the Notice of Preparation and other CEQA documents can be viewed at the public library.

If I don't post a link to a site where you can read and even download a copy of the Notice of Preparation, please remind me sometime early Thursday morning.
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I hope Councilwoman Janice Hahn attends the meeting and provides for all of us her initial views on the new plans with its 392 'apartment flats' and other types of condominiums and apartment flats.

I also hope to find supporters and opponents learning more about the plans so we can find better common ground to discuss all of the issues using much better forms of education and communication that we all suffered through during "The Bob Years."
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I have nothing official or unofficial to report with regards to R Neighborhoods Are 1, at this time.

Whether I begin again posting on my www.rneighborhoodsare1.blogspot.com in the near future remains to be seen and determined by me.

Please stay tuned.
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I've written all that I wish to write about my personal views on the newest plans, until I get much more education on more of the elements of the plans to construct 1,135 total units at Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

If anyone reading this blog is new to the issues or wish to learn more about the plans, you are welcome to Email me at: mrichards2@hotmail.com or at the address listed at the top of this blog.

You should be able to also gather educational resources by visiting the one Web site for Ponte Vista I know is up and running.

You can get information at www.yourpontevista.com
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We "fall back" this Saturday evening/early Sunday morning.
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