Ponte Vista News

‘Arrested development’

The Western Avenue housing proposal was among the Daily Breeze’s top 10 stories of 2008. Under the headline “Arrested development,” the Breeze wrote:

The end of 2008 saw a flurry of news surrounding San Pedro’s controversial Ponte Vista housing development.

In November, city planning officials issued a long-awaited ruling saying that the 1,950-home project for Western Avenue was too big and did not conform to the community plan.

It was a blow for developer Bob Bisno, who had been trying since October 2005 to win approval for the 61.5-acre project.

Then, another surprise: Bisno, a polarizing figure who had become a lightning rod for community critics of the project, was booted from his role as head of the development team.

A division of Credit Suisse bank, Bisno’s top investor, assumed control of Ponte Vista on Dec. 12, the day after a Planning Commission hearing was planned on the development. That hearing has been pushed back to Feb. 12.

What happens next is still unclear.

Credit Suisse officials are expected to meet with community members after the first of the year to discuss what, if any, changes might be made to the existing plan.

According to Ponte Vista ...

There are reports that the official Ponte Vista blog has been updated with a message regarding some of the changes noted above. However, the website was having technical difficulties at presstime. Visit www.yourpontevista.com to see if anything materializes.