Tag Archive for "Affordable Housing"

City to Pre-qualify Builders for Affordable/Homeless Housing

Posted by :reta On : July 21, 2016

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Category: Affordable Housing, City Property, community outreavh, Councilman, Homeless, Thatcher Maintenance Yard, Venice Median Parking Lot

Tags:Affordable Housing, City Administrative Officer, Councilman Mike Bonin, District Director Debbie Dyner-Harris, Homeless Housing

Rumors and statements abound in Venice regarding the Thatcher Yard and the Venice Median parking lot between Dell and Pacific, properties that Councilman Mike Bonin identified for affordable housing and homeless housing, respectively.

The latest is that builders are being pre-qualified for these properties and there have been no public hearings. The council office was queried of such action. Debbie Dyner-Harris, district director for Councilman Mike Bonin, issued the following statement clarifying the procedure.

The City Administrative Officer (CAO) has identified eight potential development sites throughout the City (including Thatcher Yard and the Dell/Pacific parking lots). Rather than issue eight separate Request for Proposals (RFP) for those lots, the idea is to pre-qualify developers who would be qualified to do work in the City. Once we get them and see their visions for any of the sites, we’ll try to do a match up, kind of like setting up blind dates. If someone has a vision for a property that matches what we may want to do in Venice, then they would be assigned to Venice.

We’d then start the community meeting and input process, trying to match everyone’s vision for what makes sense at each site. If we can’t make a match, then we can find another blind date.

I can imagine this may not be a simple process for some, but it actually greatly simplifies it for the City. The thought of eight RFP with who knows how many bidders for each site, I think, was just too much for the CAO office.

I hope this clears it a bit.

MTA Site on Sunset to Start Environmental Testing

Posted by :reta On : June 28, 2016

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Category: Metro Project, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

Tags:Affordable Housing, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Venice

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is continuing progressing with the site and will start removing the fuel tanks after the 4th. They have assured all that the POW/MIA memorial wall will be restored and names will be digitally archived. Venice Chamber of Commerce and the Veterans’s Foundation are accepting donations. The following is a press release from Eric Geier, Community Relations Manager of MTA.

In late 2015 Metro stopped operating busses out of the Metro “Division 6” bus maintenance facility at Pacific and Main in Venice. As a result, the Metro Board of Directors, through a motion by Directors Bonin and Keuhl, designated the land to be developed consistent with the agency’s Joint Development Policy. Before the Joint Development process may begin, Metro must complete environmental testing on the site, and is planning to start its next phase of work at Division 6 next week.

After the July 4th holiday weekend, Metro will remove underground storage tanks (USTs) along with the structures associated with them. The first step in this process is to excavate and remove the concrete above the USTs, after which the USTs themselves will be loaded onto trucks for disposal at an offsite facility. This work is anticipated to be completed in eight weeks, with environmental monitoring continuing following the tank removal in advance of the Joint Development Process.

In the meantime, Metro is collaborating with the Venice Chamber of Commerce, the National Veterans Foundation, and Director Bonin’s office to ensure that the POW/MIA memorial wall, which runs along the Pacific Avenue frontage of the Division 6 property and was recently damaged by graffiti, is restored and digitally archived to ensure its long-term durability. The Chamber and the Veteran’s Foundation are accepting donations to support this effort.

Yard Going, Neighbors Get Notification

Posted by :reta On : April 19, 2016

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Category: Councilman, Housing, Triangle

Tags:Affordable Housing, City Maintenance Yard, Councilman Mike Bonin, Sanitation, Street Services, Thatcher Maintenance Yard

One of the last truck loads of equipment from the City Maintenance Yard on Thatcher leaves the yard prior to demolition.

Councilman Mike Bonin sent a letter out to neighbors stating that the City Maintenance Yard on Thatcher, and commonly referred to as the Thatcher Maintenance Yard, would be demolished and a wrought-iron fence would be put up surrounding the property. Work would begin next week.

He mentions near the end that he wants to rezone the property for affordable housing but would thoroughly vet the prospect with the community.

Metro is City and Can Develop Their Property, Revised

Posted by :reta On : February 1, 2016

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Category: City, Councilman, County, Housing, Metro Project

Tags:Affordable Housing, Councilman Mike Bonin, Metro Project

Note: If you have been following the story, first the Council Office said property was County, but it is City, and Metro has the right to develop their own property.
Council office answers the question posed by the Update regarding changing Metro Bus Depot in Venice at Sunset to affordable housing and usurping the Surplus Requirement.

David Graham-Caso, communications director and policy advisor for Councilman Mike Bonin, answered that joint development is nothing new for Metro and one can see a full page of their website dedicated to the joint development process and current projects here: https://www.metro.net/projects/joint_dev_pgm

The Communications Director Graham-Caso wrote that the Metro does not have to follow the City requirements for surplus property because it can enter into joint development. The following is his explanation.

Regarding your question about the bus yard – the site did not get declared “surplus property” and offered to other governmental agencies or auctioned off to the highest bidder because Metro decided instead to enter into a joint development process for the site. This means Metro retains ownership of the property, allowing Metro to set the terms for the process and the terms for how they wish to see the property used. This is good for the neighborhood for a few reasons.

First, because of the high value of the land, it is unlikely another government agency would be able to afford the site, which means it was very likely that it would have been auctioned off for commercial development to the highest bidder. This would have resulted in a lot of traffic and not a lot of affordable housing.

Instead of allowing the site to go to the highest bidder, Mike’s proposal (which was approved unanimously by the Metro Board on Thursday), means that Metro will be involved in the development of the site, and Metro’s policy of community-driven development will allow thorough neighborhood involvement as the development proceeds.

Also, the development must be consistent with Metro’s policy for affordable housing, which says that at least 35% of the housing units in Metro’s total portfolio must be affordable to people earning 60% of the area median income. (Note that 35% is a minimum – it could be much more than that).

Metro Bus Depot to be Affordable Housing?

Posted by :reta On : January 29, 2016

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Category: Uncategorized

Tags:Affordable Housing, Councilman Mike Bonin, Metro Bus Closing

The 3.5 acres is located between Main and Pacific and Sunset and Thornton Place.

VENICE – In a move that could create much-needed affordable housing in Venice, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin today proposed building housing on the site of a controversial Metro bus yard that closed last month.

In his capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of LA County Metro, the region’s transportation agency, Bonin succeeded in shutting the bus yard and making sure it would not to be sold to the highest bidder for use as office or commercial space.

Note: The Update would like to know what happened to the salvage law that says City property that is no longer used is offered first to another City agency, second to housing, and third to parks. If none of these want the property, it is then sold as salvage to the highest bidder.

“Neighbors in Venice have been calling for the bus yard to be closed for years, and I was proud to make that happen,” said Bonin. “Now that it is closed, we can use this site to deliver needed affordable housing through a neighborhood-serving project that will be a great fit in Venice.“

The 3.5-acre property, on Sunset Avenue near the beach, has been a bus yard since 1951, drawing regular complaints about noise and pollution. At Bonin’s urging, Metro consolidated operations and closed the yard last month. Under state law and Metro policy, the transportation agency can auction the property, sell it to a government agency for fair-market value, or develop the property through a community-driven process. Metro policy dictates that a minimum of 35% of the units on Metro property must be affordable units.

Given the zoning of the property, an auction would have almost certainly resulted in a large “by right” office or commercial project, creating significant traffic impacts, Bonin said.

“There was no way that kind of development would have been the highest and best use for the property,” Bonin said. “Venice is in real, desperate need for more affordable housing. As we talk about what we are going to do to combat homelessness and the housing crisis in LA, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to create affordable housing where we can.”

Bonin formally directed LA Metro to begin the “joint development process” at a board meeting January 28. Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl co-sponsored the motion.

Developing the property will likely take a few years. The first step will be an environmental assessment to determine what it will take to make a former bus yard suitable for residential use. An extensive community engagement process will follow, so neighbors can help shape and design the project. Metro recently mandated extensive community engagement processes for any development on its properties.

Bonin said affordable housing is essential, as the city and region grapple with skyrocketing rents and housing prices.

“Long-time residents are being forced out of neighborhoods,” he said. “Recent graduates cannot afford to live where they grew up. It is a crisis – and it is particularly acute near the coast. We need to take big actions to create affordable housing, and given the cost of land on the Westside, it is going to take government property to make it happen.”

Mayor Eric Garcetti and Kuehl recently spearheaded the Metro affordable housing policy – which requires at least 35% of housing created through Metro Joint Development efforts to be affordable for residents earning 60% or less of the Area Median Income. In Los Angeles 60% of the AMI would be about $33,000.

The lack of affordable housing in Venice has been a major concern shared by Bonin and Venice residents, and Bonin has taken a series of legislative actions to protect affordable housing in the neighborhood, including pushing for: tightened regulations preserving affordable units in the coastal zone; regulations curbing the loss of affordable rental units to short-term rentals; and state legislation closing a legal loophole that allowed a loss of affordable units under a state law designed to increase affordable units.

Read Bonin’s motion at http://www.11thdistrict.com/affordable_housing_proposal_in_venice

Councilman Bonin’s Letter Sent to VNC Board

Posted by :reta On : May 4, 2015

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Category: Councilman, Homeless, Venice Neighborhood Council

Tags:Affordable Housing, City, Councilman, Venice, Venice Beach, Venice Neighborhood Council

Note: Update felt it was important that readers know what Councilman Mike Bonin is doing in reference to ending homelessness in Venice.

Councilmember Bonin Proposes EIFD to Fund Venice Projects–Parking, Affordable Housing, Transportation

Posted by :reta On : January 29, 2015

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Category: City, Councilman, EIFD, Homeless, Housing, Parking, Transportation

Tags:Affordable Housing, City, cleanup, Councilman, EIFD, Parking, Transportation

By David Graham-Caso, Communications Director for Councilmember Mike Bonin

Seeking to reverse a chronic lack of investment in parking, affordable housing and transportation infrastructure in the Venice area, Councilmember Mike Bonin is proposing to take advantage of a new state law that would allow a portion of property taxes from Venice to be spent only on Venice projects.

Bonin introduced a motion to the City Council this week that calls for the City to begin the process of creating an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) in Venice.

Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts, which were created by a bill signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown last year, allow for tax increments to finance specific public capital improvements in defined areas. The districts do not levy new taxes, but rather allow for needed improvements to be made by dedicating future tax increments to the projects.

“Venice is in dire need of more parking, improved transportation infrastructure, and a lot more affordable housing,” said Bonin. “An Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District could create a revenue stream to fund those long-neglected neighborhood priorities. And it could do it without raising taxes.”

In his motion, Bonin noted that Venice’s iconic status and international renown brings the impact of millions of visitors, but little of the benefit, because the sales tax goes to the general fund of the City of Los Angeles and does not specifically benefit Venice.

“Despite being one of the most-visited tourist attractions in all of Southern California, Venice has a chronic parking shortage, and the area has significantly less public or visitor parking than other coastal communities,” Bonin wrote. “Although the neighborhood is the soundstage for countless movies, television shows, and commercials, Venice Beach’s facilities are often dirty and unpleasant, lacking necessities such as a sufficient amount of public restrooms. While residents and local businesses suffer significant inconvenience from the large crowds that litter, make noise, and stress law enforcement resources, the City has failed to invest sufficient resources to preserve and protect public safety and quality of life. At the same time, the rapidly rising cost of land risks making affordable housing in Venice a relic of a previous decade.

“Venice deserves better, and Los Angeles can do better,” said Bonin.

Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District is a new tool, and has yet to be used in the state of California. Bonin’s colleague, Mitch O’Farrell, is also seeking to form an EIFD for the areas near the Los Angeles River. EIFD’s were a legislative effort to replace Community Redevelopment Areas, which the state recently abolished. Before an EIFD can be established, the City must create a process to form, certify and govern the districts.

Bonin’s motion is the latest in a series of actions he has taken to improve quality of life and public safety in Venice. Bonin has: been working with neighbors and business leaders in Venice to establish a Business Improvement District (BID); started to form a local collaborative to find housing and services for the local homeless population; urged more cops and more effective law enforcement strategies; increased the number of cleanups; hired People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) to do outreach to the unhoused population; and sought to curb the impacts of court decisions that tie the city’s hands in Venice matters, like sidewalk cleanups and vending.