CC RES 2013-053 RESOLUTION NO. 2013-53
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO
PALOS VERDES, OPPOSING THE CURRENT, 830-UNIT PROPOSAL
FOR THE PONTE VISTA PROJECT AT THE FORMER SAN PEDRO
NAVY HOUSING SITE AT 26900 WESTERN AVENUE IN THE CITY OF
LOS ANGELES, AND RECOMMENDING THAT THE PROJECT BE
REDESIGNED TO FURTHER REDUCE ITS OVERALL RESIDENTIAL
DENSITY AND TO INCORPORATE A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF
TRADITIONAL, DETACHED SINGLE-FAMILY (LE., "R-1") HOMES.
WHEREAS, since its closure in the late 1990s, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
has monitored, commented upon and participated as a stakeholder in the development
of plans for the reuse of the former San Pedro Navy housing site at 26900 Western
Avenue in the City of Los Angeles; and,
WHEREAS, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council was appreciative of the
inclusion of several Rancho Palos Verdes residents on the Ponte Vista Community
Advisory Committee in 2007 when the original 2,300-unit proposal for the site was
under consideration; and,
WHEREAS, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council went on record as supporting
the recommendations of the Ponte Vista Community Advisory Committee, which
rejected a revised 1,950-unit proposal and affirmed the current R-1 zoning and density
for the property, believing that these recommendations were reflective of the desires of
the majority of residents who live near the Ponte Vista site; and,
WHEREAS, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council was subsequently pleased to
learn that the Los Angeles Planning Staff and City Planning Commission ultimately
recommended denial of the project in 2009, including recommendations for an un-gated
community with a mix of housing types at an overall density that was more comparable
with those of surrounding neighborhoods; and,
WHEREAS, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council believes that the eventual
redevelopment of the former San Pedro Navy housing site for residential purposes is in
the best interest of the cities of Los Angeles and Rancho Palos Verdes and their
respective residents in that it would remove a blighted, obsolete land use from the site;
provide new home ownership opportunities in the Los Angeles Harbor area; provide
construction jobs and support for local businesses in both Los Angeles and Rancho
Palos Verdes; and contribute to the revitalization of the Western Avenue corridor; and,
WHEREAS, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council has considered the project
proponent's current, 830-unit Ponte Vista proposal, including the review of the project's
Environmental Impact Report, draft specific plan and related development entitlements
(City of Los Angeles Case Nos. CPC-2012-2558-GPA-ZC-SP, VTT-71886-MU and
ENV-2005-4516-El R).
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS
VERDES DOES HEREBY FIND, DETERMINE, AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: The City Council remains concerned about the impact of the
proposed project upon emergency access along Western Avenue, which is the only
point of ingress/egress for this project and for thousands of existing residents in
surrounding neighborhoods in Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro.
Section 2: Based upon our decades-long experience with school circulation
patterns in the project area, the assumption that middle-school students residing at
Ponte Vista will desire (or even be permitted) to walk to Dodson Middle School is
unrealistic. As such, the City Council believes that traffic impacts upon the Rolling Hills
Riviera neighborhood surrounding the school have not been adequately or accurately
addressed.
Section 3: Even with the developer's last-minute offer of some limited public
open space within the Ponte Vista project, the City Council believes that the City's
Eastview Park will experience increased demand and wear-and-tear as a result of the
project, which will not be mitigated or offset by the payment of Quimby fees to the City
of Los Angeles.
Section 4: Although the project's traffic study concludes that adverse project
impacts can be fully mitigated, the City Council is concerned that some of these
proposed mitigation measures along Western Avenue will be unacceptable to our City
and/or CalTrans, thereby resulting in significant adverse traffic impacts that will not be
mitigated to an insignificant level. As an example, we are informed that CalTrans will
not permit the proposed signalization of the intersection of Western Avenue and Fitness
Drive.
Section 5: The Final EIR rejects as infeasible several project alternatives that
have lower residential density; include a greater mix of residential and non-residential
uses; and/or conform to the existing zoning of the site, on the basis (at least in part) that
such alternatives are financially infeasible. However, this is a condition that the City
Council believes that the surrounding community is not obligated to accept as a
rationale for maximizing the currently developer's profit due to the unrealistically high
price paid for the property by previous developers.
Section 6: For all of the reasons articulated above, the City Council opposes
the current, 830-unit Ponte Vista project.
Section 7: The City Council recommends redesigning the Ponte Vista project
to further reduce its overall residential density and to incorporate a greater percentage
of traditional, detached single-family (i.e., "R-1") homes than are provided under the
current, 830-unit proposal.
Resolution No. 2013-53
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Section 8: The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution, and
shall cause this Resolution to be transmitted to the City of Los Angeles for inclusion as
a part of the administrative record of the Ponte Vista project (City of Los Angeles Case
Nos. CPC-2012-2558-GPA-ZC-SP, VTT-71886-MU and ENV-2005-4516-El R).
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 6th day of August 2013.
Mayor
Attest:
add__ .4, e.g.le
City Clerk
State of California )
County of Los Angeles ) ss
City of Rancho Palos Verdes )
I, Carla Morreale, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the
above Resolution No. 2013-53 was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said
City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on August 6, 2013.
idet& CacAl.44
City Clerk
Resolution No. 2013-53
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