L.A. Weekly exposes the massive city hall giveaway to Playa Vista

http://www.laweekly.com/2010-04-01/news/city-hall-s-gift-to-goldman-sachs/

Here's a thought: if you want more parking, why don't you tear down your building?

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Cars not parks: This guy wants to Pave-over a park next to the Ballona Wetlands

Playa del Rey: Proposal to convert Titmouse Park to parking lot draws passionate responses

BY GARY WALKER, the Argonaut

1/7/2010

For the better part of 15 years, Craig Fraulino has had a front-row seat watching traffic and parking challenges on Culver Boulevard in Playa del Rey escalate.

The boulevard is used increasingly by Westside commuters during the day and motorists returning to the South Bay in the evening, and without sufficient parking, some businesses along Culver are becoming more anxious about their future in the beachside community.

“Parking is a real issue for almost all of the merchants on Culver Boulevard,” said Susan Zolla, the proprietor of the Inn at Playa del Rey.

In an effort to alleviate the dearth of parking spaces, Fraulino, an architect, is proposing the controversial idea of converting Titmouse Park into a parking lot.

“Titmouse is one of about five ideas that I have about parking,” Fraulino said of the pocket park site. “But it’s going to garner the most attention because there is a false emotional attachment to it by certain residents and many of the environmentalists.”...

for rest of story:

http://argonautnews.com/playa-del-rey-proposal-to-convert-titmouse-park-to-parking-lot-draws-passionate-responses/

Daily Breeze covers Playa Vista's latest battle

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Delayed 'Village' phase of Playa Vista development to get another look

By Kristin S. Agostoni Staff Writer
Posted: 12/08/2009 07:39:29 PM PST

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_13955604

Playa Vista's long-awaited village core - delayed for more than two years because of a court ruling - will get another look this week from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

Developers hope the panel on Thursday will recommend that the City Council approve a new environmental analysis and package of land-use entitlements that could push the second phase of Playa Vista a step closer to completion.

But even then, it will likely face challenges from determined opponents.

The Village is planned for 111 acres within the master-planned development south of Marina del Rey, bringing 2,600 new homes, 150,000 square feet of retailers, 175,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of community uses to an area described as "the heart" of the neighborhood.

Residents, many of whom are expected to be in the audience Thursday, are eager to see construction start, Playa Vista spokesman Steve Sugerman said.

"It's the exact same project" that won Los Angeles City Council approval in 2004, he said.

"Certainly the feeling here is, we've done all of the analyses that are required. They're comprehensive," he said. "And not only is Playa ready, the community is more than ready to complete this vision."

Although roughly half of the roads were paved and the infrastructure was in place, work on The Village stopped in September 2007 when an appellate court ruled that its environmental impact report was flawed.

Previously, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge had said that the city and Playa Vista provided decision-makers with adequate information. But the appellate court, which combined two separate lawsuits on the matter, found the environmental report lacking in three areas.

The judges questioned the analysis of the project's effects on the nearby Hyperion wastewater treatment plant, the treatment of human remains and artifacts dating back 3,500 years, and whether the city accurately described permitted land uses for the site.

On the last issue, the court said the EIR did not acknowledge that the retail complex would "dramatically increase the amount of development permissible" on the land. Therefore, Playa Vista has been required to seek various land-use amendments that will accommodate a higher-density project.

But one of the plaintiffs in the case argues the plan still should be scaled down, nevermind the revised report and additional analysis.

"Basically, they misstated the beginning conditions," said Rex Frankel of the Ballona Ecosystem Education Project. "They should have studied a 50-50 project. Half the project as open space. Half the project as developed."

Frankel said he plans to bring his arguments to the City Council and pursue another court fight.

"There are still major legal problems," he said. "We're readying a lawsuit that's going to wipe this project out, and we have the evidence to prove it."

Playa Vista was counting on Caruso Affiliated to develop its village, which will be within walking distance of residences in its first phase, now home to more than 6,000 people. Caruso designed The Grove in Los Angeles and the nearby Waterside shopping center at Lincoln Boulevard and Fiji Way in Marina del Rey.

The agreement has expired by now, but Sugerman said "our strong sense is that there's actually still significant interest."

Sugerman said the project's revised environmental report has won endorsements from various community groups, including the neighborhood councils of Westchester-Playa del Rey and Del Rey and the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce, among others.

Second phase of Playa Vista up for commission consideration

December 9, 2009 | 4:08 pm

After years of legal delays, the Los Angeles Planning Commission on Thursday will again weigh the merits of the second and final phase of Playa Vista, a 111-acre expansion that would include housing, shops, office space and parks. The Village, as it is known, would be built between Playa Vista's two existing residential developments.

The community, about two miles inland from Santa Monica Bay between Marina del Rey and Westchester, is home to an estimated 6,500 people. Plans call for 2,600 additional homes, 150,000 square feet of retail space and 175,000 square feet of office space, along with four new parks.

The project was originally approved by the city in 2004, but opponents sued, saying the environmental impact report was flawed. The 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the report did not adequately analyze the potential effects on land use, archaeological resources and wastewater. In May 2008, the city was ordered to vacate the approvals and revise three sections of the EIR.

That revised EIR has been completed, and the approval process is beginning anew. The city's planning staff has recommended approval of the necessary plan amendments and zone changes to allow the project to move forward.

Bud Ovrom, deputy mayor for economic development, said: "Typically, we support our professional planning staff's recommendation." He said the city was particularly interested in seeing that the retail portion move forward. Developers of Phase 1 office buildings, he said, have found it difficult to lease space because of the lack of amenities, such as restaurants and a grocery store.

"If you want a true sustainable community, you really do need the retail component," he said.

Rex Frankel, a longtime opponent of Playa Vista, contended that the proposed project was too big and dense. He said Playa Vista should increase the amount of affordable housing and parkland.

Playa Vista officials say they anticipate further legal challenges if the City Council ultimately approves the project. Still, they say they could begin construction by the end of 2011.

-- Martha Groves

Parks and Wetlands to Share land in South Bay

Torrance eyes new sports fields in Dual- Use Treatment Wetland Basins

By Nick Green Staff Writer

Posted: 10/13/2009 , Daily Breeze

A Torrance sump adjacent to Bishop Montgomery High School on Torrance Boulevard may someday be the site of three athletic fields. (Brad Graverson Staff Photographer)

Local youth sports groups see more lighted facilities to ease the strain on overburdened soccer and football fields in Torrance.

And city officials see an enhanced storm-water runoff program that will collect, conserve and clean water.

Both will come to fruition if a $6 million proposal to build three multiuse sports fields at the Bishop Montgomery Basin behind the Torrance Boulevard high school and a passive park at the Ocean sump near Sepulveda Boulevard occurs as envisioned.

The first public step in the process occurs at 7 p.m. tonight and again Nov. 18 in the cafeteria at Anza Elementary School, 21400 Ellinwood Drive, when city officials unveil plans for the 7-acre basin adjacent to Bishop Montgomery. Another meeting is scheduled for the same time and place Nov. 4 to discuss the trails, restored habitat and open space proposed for the 9-acre Ocean sump. "Neither of these projects would use any potable water," said John Dettle, acting city engineer. "We would use recycled water plus urban runoff to keep the grass growing." Municipal officials first proposed the idea in March 2008 and have been refining plans for the two sumps ever since. The idea is to help the city meet regional requirements for cleaning urban runoff in winter months while simultaneously creating two new parks. The function of the basins, which have existed for decades to help drain what was once a flood-prone city, would not change.
In fact, the goal is to improve how they work, enhancing both the quantity and quality of water that's collected and used to recharge groundwater supplies, Dettle said. The city has set aside $1million for preliminary design work and hopes to apply for state and local water improvement grants to create the parks. There's room for up to three youth soccer fields complete with lights at the Bishop Montgomery basin that could also be used for Pop Warner Football and other sports. "We get constant calls from people complaining they don't have a place to practice or play," said Mayor Frank Scotto, a long-time official with the Hawthorne-based American Youth Soccer Organization, which began in Torrance 45 years ago. "A lot of groups have such a need for more youth fields in the city, it would be very disappointing to me if we could not accomplish this." City officials don't expect many people to object to improving the landscaping and installing trails, but otherwise leaving the Ocean basin in a largely undeveloped state. But it's unclear how neighbors of the Bishop Montgomery basin will react to converting the quiet space into busy, lighted ball fields. With lights below the grade of surrounding homes, it's hoped the illuminated fields will not spill unwanted glare into nearby living rooms. Dettle said he has received only one call from a nearby resident about the project so far and that person was in favor of it. Still, youth sports officials acknowledge that playing games from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on a weekend - complete with a blaring public address system in the case of Pop Warner Football - can create conflict. "When we play, the neighbors always complain about the noise or the PA system or parking on the street," said Dan Lankford, president of Torrance Youth Football & Cheer, whose 400 participants are spread over three different parks and school fields. He hopes a new directional sound system that doesn't blast the entire neighborhood will solve the noise issue. Parking isn't expected to be a problem since the high school already has large lots. Dick Monod de Froideville, AYSO commissioner for Torrance's Region 15, is also eyeing the new sports fields, which would sit on the border of two fast-growing AYSO regions. "It's in an ideal location," he said. "(Region 15) used to be a program of 900 (kids) and now we're a little over 1,000. The city of Torrance is running out of space for sports venues."

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:A5TItD6iKX8J:www.dailybreeze.com/ci_13548805+%22torrance+eyes+new+sports+fields%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

A little Bit of Playa Vista History...

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Retired Security Guard at Playa Vista/Ballona Wetlands describes how opponents had gotten "inside" the developer's company

http://www.news-bulletin.com/nb/index.php/la-vida/488-solar-savvy-resident-saves-energy-.html

9/5/2009--
...Nordell, a Culver City, Calif. native, said he also worked as a security guard at Hughes Aircraft, the building site of the enormous Hercules airplane, also known as the "Spruce Goose." The hangars have been used to film scenes in the films Independence Day and Titanic, he said.

He said he finagled his way onto the property under the guise of being an author and received a tour of the property.

Nordell was eventually hired on.

"I became the security guard in charge of the Hughes Playa Vista Property."
Nordell said he threw 56 trespassers off the property in one day. That made the security guard who got him the job angry.

"He took on the job of getting rid of me," Nordell said.

As it turned out, the security guard had good reason for not wanting Nordell throwing trespassers of the property. Nordell said he was a spy for a group of protestors who wanted to save the property from being developed into condominiums.

"He admitted he was a spy for the protestors," Nordell said....