By Kip Pardue
Yesterday I sent an email asking why housing was not part of the recently-approved LAX-adjacent development. Councilman Bonin’s office immediately responded by saying the land is bound by FAA regulations and therefore cannot contain housing of any kind.
To me, this begs further questions: How hard to did the Councilman fight for housing on this property, if at all? There are private homes on the north end of the property – so ostensibly, proximity to LAX is not an issue (there is also a high school and a golf course). The development plans include retail, office space, and green space – all of which will host people daily – so pollution or noise is not too much of a concern. This property is HUGE – over a half of a square mile – parts of which would be perfect for housing of all types, especially housing for the homeless.
I certainly don’t deny that the FAA has a bureaucratic definition of how their land is developed. But the current housing situation, by Bonin’s own admission and campaigning (and by what we all see each day), is in crisis. A literal State of Emergency. The councilman was recently in Sacremento asking the governor for a BILLION dollars to combat the homeless crisis. Along those lines, was every stone unturned in the LAX development? It seems to me that anyone who is focuses on “ending homelessness” would fight for any and all opportunities to actually end it.
Bonin repeatedly told me that all that is needed to build more housing is land – the money for the building is readily available. Was this land fought for? How could this seemingly arbitrary FAA regulation be more thorny than building on the most expensive real estate in LA, surrounded by families, elementary schools, tourists, and raging homelessness? How could Bonin not plead with federal and state officials to lease and isolated 3 acres of this property? This work would almost certainly be less of a climb than asking for one billion tax-payer-dollars. And if these steps were in fact taken by Bonin, why were they not done publicly (the way he very publicly put the Venice Blvd lots in the housing for the homeless category)?
This seems like a lost opportunity for Venice and all of LA. I truly hope the councilman fought as hard for housing there as he has for housing in Venice.