City Place Santa Ana Prices Tumble

Here is an advertisement for City Place Santa Ana, probably the one project of Bob's that has found actual buyers, recently. Perhaps only some buyers, but buyers they are.

At the beginning of the month a marketing firmed used and auction tool to try and sell 114 units at City Place.

I still don't know how many of those units sold, but I have posted information about the minimum bid prices for those units.

It looks like the marketing company is now using some of the auction information to try and sell off more units, without the auction type of sales.

Please click over image to enlarge.

I can't say what profits might be generated if units sell at the listed prices, but look at the prices the units were originally offered at.

Home # 122 has been reduced by $239,990. What might the profit be after a 34% reduction in price?

What would the profit have been if the unit sold for the asking price of $704,990.

And More News Keeps Coming In

Mr. Art Pedroza is the publisher of the Orange Juice Blog at: www.orangejuiceblog.com

It continues to appear that Bob Bisno is not have the greatest of the last few months of 2008.

Here is Mr. Pedroza's post from Sunday November 23, 2008....that would be yesterday!
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Developer Robert Bisno trying to sell his house for over $29 million

Developer Robert Bisno, who recently pulled out of an attempt to reshape the City of Baldwin Park’s downtown area via eminent domain, has now put his Beverly Hills home up for sale, according to the Celebrity Big Time Listings blog:

“In a Big Time Listings exclusive, we can report on the listing of the five-bedroom mansion, which was built in 2002 and which sits on a 5.133-acre parcel at 66 Beverly Park. The mansion just came on the market yesterday. Its owner, developer Robert Bisno, has been well-documented for his battles over foreclosure of this estate, as well as pending litigation with the North Beverly Park homeowners association regarding their having installed gates on the property, a dinosaur topiary and a rather colorful, eight-foot abstract sculpture (of what some say is a woman on her back with her legs in the air!) in their motor court. Take a look at this 2006 New York Times article for more on the Bisnos’ conflicts with their neighbors.”

To add insult to injury, Bisno has been having to use human signs to advertise auctions of the overpriced luxury condos he built at the City Place in Santa Ana. His proposed 31 story luxury condo tower was also not approved at the last Santa Ana Planning Commission meeting. They put it off until their next meeting.

Bisno has given thousands of dollars to Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and his crooked Council team. Perhaps he should have spent that money elsewhere? I’m sure he would love to have it back right about now…"
----------------------------------------------------------------

We are all free to speculate why Mr. Bisno is attempting to unload his personal home while he is attempting to have others buy homes at City Place Santa Ana.

The Party Is Over For Now

I hope everyone who seeks to keep the Ponte Vista site with its current zoning and only have R1, single-family, detached houses on lots of not less than 5,00 square feet knows, that the weekend of premature celebration is OVER and now it is time to face some real realities.

It is time for people who have criticized and condemned members of OUR community who continue to fight for R1, to stop all of that stuff and understand several things.

The report released last Friday did not suggest or recommend that the current zoning necessarily remain at the Ponte Vista site. The guidelines established in the report were not created by anyone belonging to R Neighborhoods Are 1!

We did absolutely nothing wrong in objecting to Bob's plans and we carry no responsibility for what was written in the report.

It is not our fault that the report repudiated just about every element of Bob's plans and we share no blame or guilt for what was published.

In fact, the report also created a need for 'our' side to work even harder to attempt to maintain the current zoning at the site, now that more obstacles have been placed in the way.

Yes, some of us were happy with the news that was more bad for Bob and his supporters than it was for us. But there was some poor news in the report for our side as well.

The report contained information that proves there is no reason to believe that our side was wrong to fight Bob's plans for such a giant development. In truth, the report suggests 'our' side actually helped save OUR community from a project that surely was too large and which was established as such by the city Planning Department.

So for anyone to continue to make foul, improper, and ignorant statements about R Neighborhoods Are 1 or anyone who favors keeping the current zoning at the Ponte Vista site, it is now time for them to back off, silence themselves, and.......GET OVER IT!

Now folks, the report did place many of us in a pickle, unfortunately.

The report's fifteen points that make up the guidelines for what the Planning Department suggests could be built at the site does create problems that need to be overcome.

Starting today and continuing on as long as necessary, it is time to redouble our efforts if we truly want to keep the site in northwest San Pedro with its current zoning.

Our cause continues and I do not believe there is any reason to slow down one bit. I hope everyone visits http://www.rneighborhoodsare1.org/ and looks for the pages where you can help donate to the group's defense fund. We are going to need your help now, even more than before.

As easy or tough as it has been to fight against Bob's plans, we are now going to be up against the Planning Department and possibly some elected officials in the coming weeks and months.

It is unclear whether Councilwoman Hahn will want to look favorably towards the guidelines now established by the Planning Department, at some point. She is up for re-election, but she doesn't appear to have any real opposition.

If saving the current zoning means the group has to go up against the Planning Department, then that may become part of the future of the group.

Now that we all know the guidelines established for the Ponte Vista site by the Planning Department, we need to continue to fight for what the group wants.

We need to remain ready, steadfast to our goals, firm in our convictions for the group, able to provide the best results for OUR community, and be willing to continue the fights that will certainly come.

Even after Bob finally has his day with the Los Angeles City Council, R Neighborhoods Are 1 will still be here and the group will need your continued support with your words, you actions, and your monetary contributions.

I am still here to make buttons. This blog will remain to help fight the good fight. We still need to remain together.

Please continue to visit both of my blogs concerning Ponte Vista long after Bob has had his day and his you-know-what handed to him by the City Council, on a silver platter.

There will be other times to celebrate for a short period of time in the coming months, but long term, we've only just begun.

Humor In The Middle Of The Weekend

Time out for humor.

What are the magic words a mortician uses when he practices magic as a hobby?

"Abra Cadaver"

The Morning After

This blog receives far fewer readers than www.pontevista.blogspot.com and that now seems even better for me.

I can use this blog to impart information about R Neighborhoods Are 1, just like I still do on the other blog.

I feel more comfortable venting and offering more outside opinions on this blog, too.

It is with that reasoning that I am creating this post.

Terri appeared much more excited that I appeared all last night after the news broke and the Report was published.

Terri was so pleased, she bought me Ice Cream, something I should not have.

She also had some trouble sleeping because she was thinking about all that we have gone through with everything associated with Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

I finally got to sleep after I created a page of alternate sayings as to what has and may happen to Bob since the publication of the Report.

One of the cleanest and least offensive creations was: His wall-mounted time reporting device was cleared of accumulated debris. This was offered as an opinion of what the planners wrote about his plans for Ponte Vista.

I saved all the creations and only sent it to one person who I knew would get a chuckle. That fellow also has a wicked sense of humor.

This morning broke with the article in The Daily Breeze which I read online shortly after Ms. Littlejohn posted it.

I am sadly mystified that Mr. Dominguez still seems to be so supportive of Bob's current plans.

What is it going to take for too many of Bob's supporters to realize that Bob's plans can never happen at the site?

How sad it is that some of our most prominent members of OUR community still seem to cling to the impossible?

I have stated time and time again that I do support some senior housing at the site, but for the life of me, I cannot help but wonder why so many people can't see the light of day and understand that following Bob is following a lost cause.

Earlier today I authored a currently 6-page article on my plan for the Ponte Vista site.

There is nothing in my plan that calls for the maintenance of the current zoning at the site and it still includes all three types of housing Bob wanted to build.

I feel my plan fits quite well into the guidelines for a revised plan for Ponte Vista, yet I am going to need some help from both supporters and opponents to get passed the opposition by the Planning Department for senior housing on the site.

Isn't it time for us to come together rather than remaining apart? What more evidence do supporters want or need to illustrate to them that Bob's current plans should be only a memory this morning.

Why continue to fight a hopeless cause? Why not work on something that includes some of what Bob wants and what the Planning Department thinks is workable?

I completely consider Bob's current plans to have passed away yesterday. It may be informal, but it should be considered that all things considered, there is really no chance that his application can be approved. This is my opinion, but I believe it is realistic, reasonable, and even respectful to everyone.

I have given myself the opportunity to change my mind several times concerning the Ponte Vista project.

With the first learning about the project during a dinner with a special couple, I was immediately excited and had positive thoughts concerning what I was learning.

From that time in 2005 or 2005 and until May 29, 2007, I remained open minded to may concepts and compromises.

Late in the evening of May 29, 2007 I finally had to come to grips that Bob's plans back then were for a project that was simply too large and because of his consistent unwillingness to really deal with compromise proposals, I had to state that as long as Bob would not compromise enough, the site had to remain, R1 NO COMPROMISE!

That statement still remains valid, to this day. But I do understand that members of OUR community, including elected officials consider that something will be built at the site.

Therefore, I began to consider ideas that do not fit with either Bob's current plans or strictly R1 zoning.

The number of units in my plan considers the ability to create a great development that would not be too overcrowded and put too many obstructions and obstacles into OUR community.

To find out that my plan actually can fit within the guidelines is something I feel should be thought of as serious and workable by more members of OUR community.

I have had complaints from people who state correctly that I am not an urban planner or an architect. I submit to all of you that my plan is much closer to what real urban planners and architects consider for Ponte Vista than those who follow Bob and his group.

For those of you who continue to back Bob's plans and ridicule me or my plans, perhaps it is time for you to look in the mirror and view who the real persons are that have helped doom Bob's plans.

You should also look to the leader of your groups and Bob's intransigence concerning real compromise.

Perhaps you followed Bob too far over the cliff and now you are beyond the branches that you could have grabbed on to.

There is a place for some of what Bob wanted and it can be built at the Ponte Vista site. It may be built by other developers, but there are some elements that should be provided in OUR community.

If my plans fly in the face of my fellow members of the R Neighborhoods Are 1 Steering Committee, well then, "T.S.!" (You could conclude that this is 'tough situation' or you can conclude what I really mean.)

As nobody should be bound to follow Bob lock-step like some seem to continue to do, nobody should be bound to follow everything R Neighborhoods Are 1 suggests.

It is true that the Steering Committee and myself included should follow the will of the more than 11,000 people who signed the R1 petition, and make sure Bob does not receive approval of his application to change the current zoning.

But that is probably already growing colder on a hard slab and only confined to bad memories.

Fight on I must and fight on we must to ensure that Bob's application and everything else he currently requests is voted down, ultimately by the Los Angeles City Council.

It would help if more supporters of Bob's would look into themselves and question why they continue to support an impossibility and not work toward the possible and realistic.

Who knows though, the weekend has just begun.

The Response From the Ponte Vista Outreach Team

I consider it only fair that I post the response to the Report by the Department of City Planning, by the Ponte Vista at San Pedro Outreach Team.

It was published on their blog a little earlier this evening.

This post will not opine on the following statement:

Ponte Vista Specific Plan Denied — Our Response

We are deeply disappointed to inform you that the City of Los Angeles Planning Department has issued a staff recommendation that denies the proposed Ponte Vista Specific Plan.

The staff report did not recommend a single family home development; however, it also did not recommend a unit count high enough to achieve many of the community benefits planned for Ponte Vista. The staff report recommends a unit count in the range of up to 1,200 units with a state approved density bonus.

The Planning Department has had the proposed Ponte Vista specific plan for over two years and has not commented or provided staff input on the plan.

We find it sad that the department put the community through two years of discussion without mentioning the concerns listed in the recommendation. Ponte Vista paid for a full time city planner to work on the details of specific plan with the development team and the community and that obviously did not happen.

We look forward to bringing our project to the City Planning Commission on Thursday, December 11. We will be in front of appointed leaders who put good land use ahead of politics as we pursue our vision of a truly mixed income neighborhood that will provide the maximum benefit to the community.

Please contact me if you have any questions at (310) 241 – 0699.

I want to personally thank you for your continued support.

Elise Swanson

Recommendations From the Planning Department

With the release of the recommendations by the Planning Department I feel it is important that we all learn some lessons from the real urban planners, architects, staff, and managers of planning as to what they feel could be built at the site of Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

Below are the four pages of the 37 Page report that deals with what planners suggest could be built at Ponte Vista.

I will post more comments below.

Please click over images to enlarge.

As I read the pages I can understand that R1 is not necessarily the type of zoning planners suggest should remain on the site.

Because I have had a 'dream' or 'wish' that does not include any R1 zoning remaining on the land, I was pleased that my feelings seemed to be confirmed by city planners.

I am still quite surprised that the number of units recommended by planners is somewhat smaller than my 'dream' of 1,080 total units was. But seeing that my total number of units in my 'wish' falls well within the density bonus concept, is also comforting.

Of course, as always, and forever, as long as Bob is not willing to change his current plans, if he still has any, and until plans are brought for a real compromise, then the site must remain R1, NO COMPROMISE!

Bob has had more than plenty of time to work with others to create a reasonable compromise.

Of course I will have more on this blog and www.pontevista.blogspot.com in the near future.

Don't Gloat!

Folks, this is not the time to gloat, boast, or celebrate too loudly.

There is still much to do and it is our responsibility to attempt to bring OUR community back together after Bob ends his bid for his current plans.

In reality, Bob either has to immediately learn from the recommendations created by the Planning Department and create a new application that is more in line with those recommendations, or simply put an end to his current plans and either sits on the land for a few years, or tries to sell off the land that is now probably worth about half of what he paid for it.

I charge that Bob has done some real damage to OUR community and the vast differences between his scheme and what the City Planners suggest could be built, demonstrate that he seemed to be more about clearing more profit than he was about helping out many in OUR community.

There are some very good San Pedrans that probably will have some egg on their faces, but I am still a bit hard-pressed to let many of them off that easily.

I have continually called for community members, with Bob and other, to come up with compromise proposals that are reasonable, realistic, responsible, and respectful to all members of OUR community. Yet, my phone remained silent and my inbox remained empty from those who both support Bob's plans, whatever they may be, and consider themselves 'community leaders.'

It is long passed time that these 'community leaders' realize that they may have been had by supporting a project that the developer should have known could never be approved.

But as much as I may have some anger with these 'community leaders' we all need to understand that they also may have been misled by Bob and his Outreach Team.

That is still not enough, though. It is the responsibility of all the members of OUR community who have been apart on the issues surrounding Ponte Vista to come back together and actually work for a project that does reflect what the community really wants and needs and also can find approval from the agencies and government citizens pay for.

There is a whole list of good people living in OUR community that need to find closure with their support for Bob and his concepts for Ponte Vista.

One of the most disturbing parts of the Report deals with senior housing. This type of housing was seemingly supported by a great number of people. The sad truth is that the plans supplied by Bob were so completely obliterated by the City Planning Department, it makes many folks feel they may have been misled, including me.

I do and did wish for some senior housing at Ponte Vista. I wanted it to be placed on the most southern end of the site because that is closest to the stores. This was something Bob completely repudiated. It now appears Bob was wrong and I wasn't.

There is a unknown number of seniors who wish for more options in San Pedro. The options provided by Bob have been deemed completely unworkable, and more than a few reasons have been given.

These senior citizens may have provided the backbone for the most vocal and active types of support for Bob's plans.

I feel OUR community must not ignore these good people and work with them for some kind of resolution.

I don't see how any supporters of Bob's plans can defend those plans when those plans are up against what was released by the Planning Department.

It is also thought that there will be some opponents of Bob's plans who will not necessarily be as 'nice' as they should be. I hope they are very few and quite apart from the rest of us.

However, I may write some fairly foul things in the future. I have been particularly attacked in many forms for my views which I still consider much nicer than the views of many others.

I have endured quite a lot of foul-fingered writers who supported Bob's plans. I continue to be somewhat attacked for my views, but I respect the fellow doing the attacking and he has many contributions to OUR community. He and I happen to disagree about many things regarding Ponte Vista but we both considered senior housing to be important, at the site.

Baldwin Park Saved From Bob Bisno!

Team Bisno’s eminent domain plans in Baldwin Park fail

By Art Pedroza, http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/:

“City officials say Bisno Development Co. is pulling out of a contentious, multimillion-dollar plan to revitalize more than 100 acres of downtown Baldwin Park, citing the economic downturn,” according to the Whittier Daily News.

Our readers may recall that this project included abusive use of eminent domain to take over businesses that the Baldwin Park City Council wanted to oust out of their downtown area. That plan totally backfired! “The contentious project spurred the formation of a citizens’ action group in Baldwin Park and is in part the grounds of a recall campaign targeting three City Council members.”

Make no mistake - the failure of this Bisno project is a kick to the face of Bisno and his heartless team and to the lame Baldwin Park City Council. I have a feeling those folks ARE going to be recalled.

I wrote a recent article about how a Bisno representative allegedly destroyed a resident’s video camera at a public meeting, which you may read by clicking here. And this article explains exactly how much opposition Bisno was facing in Baldwin Park.

These are dark times for Team Bisno! They had big plans for Baldwin Park, but that is just the tip of their iceberg of suffering. Their vaunted City Place development in Santa Ana is a joke.

They have had to resort to the use of human signs to publicize their auctions of overpriced condos that are now selling for a lot less than they were asking. I am also hearing rumors that they are leasing some of these units. And the Santa Ana Planning Commission delayed approval of their ridiculous 31 story luxury condo tower, which is supposed to ruin the skyline in north Santa Ana.

Of couse I am most happy to see Team Bisno going down the drain…perhaps they should play less politics and concentrate on their business?
____________________________________________

Bisno representative accused of assault at neighborhood meeting
By Art Pedroza, www.orangejuice.blogspot.com

A Bisno Development representative is being accused of ripping a video camera out of the hands of a resident in Baldwin Park and damaging the camera, while also scratching the resident, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Of course the Bisno people are saying this did not happen, but the camera IS broken and there were many witnesses to the alleged assault.

The Bisno rep who attacked the lady in question said that some people at the meeting were “uncomfortable” about the taping of the neighborhood meeting, which was organized to discuss the massive eminent domain abuse that Bisno and the Baldwin Park City Council are trying to conduct in their downtown area.

Recently allies of Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, who has received thousands of dollars in contributions from Bisno, refused to let a candidates forum in south Santa Ana be taped for similar stupid reasons. The Council challengers, including myself, boycotted the poorly attended meeting of the South Santa Ana Merchants Association. Several of their board members flipped out but I was not assaulted.

Obviously the Bisno company, by opposing the taping of the meetings they are involved in, don’t understand freedom of speech. Nor do Pulido’s allies here in Santa Ana.

Locally, Bisno’s “City Place” development has tanked and they have had to auction their over-priced condos for about half what they were initially asking for them. The news is all bad for Bisno here in Santa Ana and north of us in Baldwin Park.
____________________________________________

New Meeting Date!

The Harbor Area Planning Commission has rescheduled its meeting concerning the Ponte Vista at San Pedro project.

The new meeting date is Tuesday December 2, 2008. The meeting time is 4:00 PM

A new location for the meeting has been found. It is the Port of L.A. Boys and Girls Club. The add address of the Club is: 100 W. 5th Street, San Pedro, California.

The phone number to the Club is: 310-831-5232.

This information has been confirmed on November 19, 2008 With at least one representative of local government.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a letter to the editor that appeared in last Friday's Daily Breeze. The signature the paper used was from Mr. Bruce Horton. He was just one member of the R Neighborhoods Are 1 Steering Committee who signed the letter. His signature was not the only signature on the original letter.

"Here we go again. Yet another Ponte Vista hearing.This one is important. It is at the Warner Grand at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, November 18th, before the Harbor Area Planning Commission.

The trouble is, three of the five members of the Commission have already made up their minds. While all are fine persons, they are not impartial on this project and should recuse themselves..

Commissioners Camilla Townsend and Joeann Valle are the CEOs of two local Chambers of Commerce. Both Chambers have endorsed the project. In addition, the Chair of the San Pedro Chamber, John Ek [Townsend’s boss], is a paid lobbyist for Ponte Vista.

Ms. Townsend has personally drummed up support for the project from local groups as part of her paid work. Ms. Valle has also been actively supporting the project. In fact, she is a member of Ponte Vista’s Advisory Board.

The third Commissioner, Gloria Lockhart, is the President and CEO of a local nonprofit organization in San Pedro that has received major contributions from Ponte Vista. Ms. Lockhart has appeared at previous hearings, complete with big “Ponte Vista Supporter” sticker, and spoken in favor of the project.

We deserve better. We deserve an impartial Commission. Los Angeles ethics rules say that a Commissioner should step down where the public might be reasonably concerned about their impartiality.

By now, these three commissioners should have recused themselves or the Mayor should have instructed them not to participate. Because this hasn’t happened, the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council and several board members of the Northwest San Pedro, Central San Pedro, and Harbor City councils have asked the City Attorney to rule on the matter.

We are still waiting for a ruling. We haven’t heard from the Mayor either.

The three Commissioners should do the right thing and not participate in the hearing on (November 18th.)" December 2, 2008.
Bruce Horton
San Pedro, California
______________________________________________
It is no secret that Bob Bisno needs to find a way to get some more support for his massive project.

He and his Outreach Team are trying their best to get some kind of recommendation from even three members of the Harbor Area Planning Commission, if it supports his plans.

The Harbor Area Planning Commission voted unanimously, earlier this year, to take up the Ponte Vista issue, receive comments about it, and then offer a recommendation to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

Since that vote was taken, it was learned that the Harbor Area Planning Commission is not authorized to take on votes concerning large developments, including Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

Whether a recommendation from a majority of three members of the Commission is going to happen is still up in the air.

Of course, it is not certain that the December 2 meeting will even take place. The Harbor Area Planning Commissions record of actually meeting on a regular basis is not good at all, with many canceled meetings already in their more recent history.

It is strongly suggested though, that all parties on any side of the Ponte Vista issue be prepared and willing to attend the scheduled meeting and speak on the topic.

Naturally, thousands of us would prefer that the majority of speakers oppose Bob's current plans, but I know that the Ponte Vista Outreach Team will be doing the paid work required to get as many supporters to show up at the meeting as possible.

It is also true that the Steering Committee of R Neighborhoods Are 1 will be doing the all-volunteer work at having the majority of speakers talk in opposition to Bob's current plans.

Whether Union members will come to support Bob's current plans is still up in the air.In an earlier Daily Breeze article, an attorney representing Mr. Bisno suggested that the number of units in a new plan from Bob Bisno might only have "1700" units. Whether the agreements between Bob and some Unions were written to allow for unionized construction work at Ponte Vista on a number fewer than 1,950 is unknown.

I must comment here that I do know a total number of units Bob earlier suggested he could build and still be willing to use unionized labor, and still provide all the 'amenities' he has promised. That total number is less than "1700" units.

Whether you wish to attend the December 2 meeting or not, many of us feel certain that the most important of the two meetings coming up regarding Ponte Vista at San Pedro is the Los Angeles City Planning Commission meeting on December 11, 2008.

At that meeting, a recommendation could be provided to the Los Angeles City Council as to what the Commissioners feel should be allowed for at the 61.53 acre site in northwest San Pedro.

The City Planning Commission meeting will commence in the morning and the meeting site is in downtown Los Angeles. I know that this site and meeting time may be a struggle for many people, but it is absolutely vital for as many opponents of Bob's current plans to show up at that meeting as possible.

Please 'stay tuned' to this site, look for Emails, and keep your eyes and ears open as we move much more quickly towards real decisions regarding Ponte Vista.

The release of the Staff Report from the Planning Department is still somewhat expected on November 21, but do not bet the farm or even a chicken coop on that.

MEETING CANCELED!

Click over image to enlarge

The Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday November 18 at the Warner Grand Theater will NOT be held on that date!

The latest information I have received from a staff member in the Planning Commission offices is that a December 2, 2008 date for the meeting is currently being considered.

It is VERY important that you advise everyone you know who was planning on attending the November 18 meeting, that there will NOT be a meeting held on that date, at the planned location.

Earlier today quite a bit of information began swirling around about the cancellation of the meeting and it is necessary that we all keep up to the minute on whether, when, and where the meeting may take place in the future.

It certainly may come to pass that the meeting is cancelled altogether, with no new Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting on the issue being held. The reason for this is because the Ponte Vista at San Pedro matter is still scheduled to go before the full City Planning Commission on December 11.

The Harbor Area Planning Commission would have to meet PRIOR to the City Planning Commission's meeting concerning Ponte Vista, and the date of December 2, 2008 is still being considered as the date for the Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting, IF is occurs.

In my conversations with the staff member of the Planning Commission, it is now my greater understanding that the Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting would be held ONLY to take and make comments and that NO recommendation by that body would be passed forward to the City Planning Commission.

If you have already made plans to be in downtown San Pedro on Tuesday afternoon, please enjoy the many restaurant choices and businesses in the downtown area. They need your support and if you have already set aside the time, there is still much to do in downtown San Pedro.

More News From the Steering Committee

I know that I have been not keeping this blog up recently and I apologize.

Much of the news about Ponte Vista at San Pedro I publish on: www.pontevista.blogspot.com but you all probably knew that already.

The former 'Rudderless Steering Committee' of R Neighborhoods Are 1 has gone away for the past several months. In its place is a new Steering Committee that is focused, well organized, growing in membership, and ready to take any and all over developers who stray into OUR community.

The Steering Committee of R Neighborhoods Are 1 is now organized with specialists in many areas to deal with whatever needs to be done, regarding both Ponte Vista at San Pedro and the other area we have dealt with, the former site of McCowan's Market.

The Steering Committee is now working very hard with the developments that are happening concerning Ponte Vista at San Pedro.

The Harbor Area Planning Commission has scheduled a meeting to take comments and review concerns concerning Ponte Vista at San Pedro. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday November 18, 2008 and the new location for the meeting is the historic Warner Grand Theater, in San Pedro.

Two other sites have listed the start time for the meeting as being 4:00 PM or 4:30 PM, so you may wish to come early.

There will be red and white "R1" buttons to counter Ponte Vista's yellow sticker tags their supporters wear at meetings.

You should arrive early so you have plenty of time to fill out speaker's cards and I hope you oppose Bob Bisno's plans for building 1,950-condominiums on just over 61.5 acres of land.

Folks, this is a fifteen round fight and I think R Neighborhoods Are 1 needs to win all fifteen rounds.

Sure the group claims a 'victory' with the latest news that the Ponte Vista Vesting Tract Map has been disapproved. It is more an emotional victory than and there is much more that need to be done.

It seems more often than not, someone at the Ponte Vista Outreach Team is creating another post on another one of their sites that states things that can be so very easily contradicted.

The latest item for their site is that Ponte Vista would only have about 3,500 residents.

The facts are that during the Initial Study process, it was established that approximately 7,343 residents might live at Ponte Vista if they lived in a 2,300-unit project.

Even the Draft Environmental Impact Report stated that the approximate residential population at Ponte Vista would be 4,313.

I still do not know where the 3,030 people who represent the difference between the Initial Study and the Environmental Report vanished to.

Getting back to the Steering Committee, I think you should know that the members of that Committee are strong, informed, committed to keeping Ponte Vista with its current zoning, and willing to continue the fight for as long as necessary.

Of course, every member of the Steering Committee would like you do contribute to the defense fund set up to pay the lawyer that is handling legal issues that are large and require the expertise from someone who knows what they are doing.

Please visit www.rneighborhoodsare1.org and find out how you can contribute.

The Steering Committee wants all of you opposed to Bob's current plans to come and speak you mind and heart at the upcoming Harbor Area Planning Commission meeting. You are encouraged to share your concerns about having such a massive housing project on one of the few routes in and out of San Pedro and eastern Rancho Palos Verdes.

How will you deal with thousands of more cars on Western Avenue?

Will you need to make shopping changes or need to steer clear of northwest San Pedro if it becomes too over crowded?

How does the fact that an out of town developer believes he knows better than you what is best for San Pedro?

Many members of our community have discovered, except for a number of greedy business owners, that having such a massive development on the edge of San Pedro, directly along an evacuation route, where infrastructure demand may surpass availability, that OUR community simply cannot afford a housing project so large.

The Steering Committee continues to be a group of volunteers who use their time and money to help protect OUR community and they continue to seek your support and encouragement.

Please look at your spam Email sometimes and see if an Email from R Neighborhoods Are 1 is lurking there. Please read that Email for important information.

The Steering Committee is doing its best to try and keep everyone informed whether it is on this blog, my other blogs, and the R Neighborhoods Are 1 Web site, mentioned above.

I will try to be more diligent in updating this blog in the future because there are several events coming up that will ultimately determine what might get built at Ponte Vista or whether Bob Bisno will stick around to actually build something.