The Truth about the Truth about Ponte Vista

Last weekend, The Daily Breeze gave a voice to Bob Bisno, CEO of Bisno Development, via an editorial in their MORE Saturday supplement.

Bob basically used it as an opportunity to roll out his standard speech that he seems to give at public meetings, going over the same points, with nothing new to add. Although I take offense at every stroke of every letter he writes, I'll just single out a few of his statements for comment. I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts on his editorial, as well.

Some people say we should be forced to build single-family R-1 homes. Detractors say I bought the land knowing that it was zoned for approximately 550 homes, so that's what I should build. These people are ignoring many "inconvenient truths."

A single family, R-1 development means homes starting at $1.5 million and costing upward by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Seniors want to downsize, they don't want single family homes. Most can't afford a $1.5 million price. How about firefighters, teachers, working families, or entry-level buyers? Do the R-1 proponents seriously believe these community members can afford a $1.5 million price tag?

Detractors who rant for R-1 zoning are guilty of an extremely elitist attitude that deprives working members of the community from purchasing homes. Ask yourself, why do these elitists believe they should be able to disenfranchise a substantial majority of community members who want a place to buy a home?

No one's saying you're not a fool for paying too much and then whining that you won't be able to change the nature of your purchase to suit your pocketbook. I'd have no problem entertaining a change of zoning for a more respectable developer, for you Bob, I have no desire to see the city empower your desires. Just because the economics of your purchase don't make sense without a change in zoning doesn't mean that there should be a change, or that those who would deny you a change in zoning would condemn people to pony up $1.5 million per house.

We already have more than 1,710 prospective buyers interested in Ponte Vista. Over half of these buyers come from San Pedro.

I'm on that list - I just signed up, it took about 30 seconds. I'm also on the lists for the VUE, the Bank Lofts and the Centre Street Lofts (I like getting the E-mails and info from local developments, even though I'm not in the market for a condo). Those numbers mean nothing from you or any other developer. Or is there a formula we can employ to determine the actual number of interested buyers?

Our traffic study is under review by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and should be released shortly. The public will be invited to review the report and make comments as soon as it is released.

In other words, the traffic study done by the independent analyst you hired means nothing. I don't trust you, and I don't trust your study. I only hope that LADOT does what I'm paying them to do on this one. Like I said elsewhere - traffic mitigation isn't about the dollars spent, it's about the results - look at the Big Dig in Boston. Billions were spent on that and a major section is now closed to the public indefinitely, and it has actually killed someone.

Ponte Vista will provide more than $9.2 million in initial revenues to the City of Los Angeles and about $8.3 million annually once Ponte Vista is occupied. An independent economist, Paul Silvern, estimates that Ponte Vista homeowners will spend $101 million annually within a five-mile radius. This is a huge boost to the local economy. Ponte Vista will generate 4,600 construction-related jobs, including local hire and youth employment.

Once again - I don't trust the "independent" economist you hired. Was he independent of your paycheck? Your numbers mean nothing. Hell, they mean less than nothing. Presuming that you're giving us the numbers for the 2,300 unit development, and that you certainly expect to comprimise on that number (possibly significantly so), all of those numbers will be much lower in reality, even if they do correspond to reality at a 2,300 unit count, which I cannot trust that they do.

Ponte Vista will also feature a public park, picnic areas, and permanent access for the new Mary Star of the Sea High School. We will work with Councilwoman Hahn's Ponte Vista Advisory Group on other community benefits, which could include a community pool, child care center, dog park, or branch library.

You forget to mention your other positions on this particular subject. You have stated (I was there, you were addressing a board that I serve on in a public meeting) that you cannot provide these amenities if you get a reduced unit count. Any offer to provide any public facilities adjacent to your gated community are wholly contingent upon you getting the zoning you want. So any offer to develop a facility or access for any purpose is, IMHO, a petty attempt to buy influence in key San Pedro demographics that you need to support your project. You essentially threatened that the Mary Star of the Sea High School is a no-go unless you get your way, and that means approval for all 2,300 of your units.

I have no doubt that a more likeable or responsible developer would also be more than willing to provide some public amenities in exchange for a reasonable change in zoning, as part of a productive and professional planning process. This mix of pseudo-bribery and threats is not the kind of behavior that I want to see from people who intend to singificantly alter the character (even if it is a genuine improvement) of an area of our town.

Addressing your desire for a revision in zoning that would allow a 2,300 unit development, you also stated that you would just take your monorail and leave town if you weren't granted the zoning to make your project profitable. I'm not so desperate to see Pedro race towards "total development" that I'm going to give it up for the first handsome lad to ask me to dance. Feel free to sell the property and leave town as soon as you like, I'm not buying your spiel.