Palos Verdes Real Estate

High Density Housing

As most PV residents are now aware, in its infinite wisdom, the State has dictated that every city must have “affordable” housing.  “Affordable” varies by city, but the fact that the State is using our tax money and something called the “Builder’s Remedy” to bludgeon cities into compliance is disturbing.  The spirit of the California State constitution is that zoning is left to the cities and counties, but Sacramento has found a cynical way around it.  The artist renderings below may seem like a bad joke, but they are not.

Each city must come up with a “Housing Element” targeting sites for high density development, that must be approved by the State . . . by people who almost certainly have never even visited the cities to which they are applying this heavy-handed requirement, and certainly not to Palos Verdes.  In PVE the current designees are the “under-utilized Patio Building” in Lunada Bay — you know the one where Viva La Pasta used to be, and where Viva La Salsa and Lunada Bay Hardware currently are, the Christian Science Church at PV Drive North and Campesina, and the buildings on Via Tejon just east of Malaga Cove Plaza.

This whole ridiculous notion really got amped up locally when, in late 2022, I had a lot for sale off Ironwood (near Silver Spur School).  At 4.9 acres with a city view and only asking $1.6 million, it looked like the deal of the century, but all is not as it appears:  only maybe 40% of the lot (if that) was buildable and there were huge easements and a canyon plus city restrictions that made construction very problematic.  After a few months on the market and many breathless calls from out of area agents who thought it was too good to be true until they learned the details, we got an offer from a guy who professed to want to build “dream house” for him and his wife.  We put the deal together and it closed in January, 2023.  A few months later, what should appear in the Los Angeles Times but this guy’s name as the builder of high density, low income housing.  The image at right is what he intends to build — 482 units in the middle of this residential area off Silver SpurRd.  He later called me and asked me to represent him in the purchase of more PV property for high density housing.  I told him I not only would not represent him, I would fight him every inch of the way.  Let’s just say, at this point, I think he’s going to have a tough time buying any more PV property.

Now, logical person that you are, you may ask how the local infrastructure is going to support 482 new units.  Well, the gnomes in Sacramento have that figured out too — any shortcoming in infrastructure (roads, utilities, sewers, etc) must be made up for by the already victimized city — that would be you and me.

Looking at this as a 76 year Palos Verdes resident, I have a few thoughts:  1)  most of us who live here spent many years earning enough money to be able to afford it.  I have yet to have it explained to me how it is fair to give those who have not, a residence here at the literal expense of those who have — no consideration is given to views, congestion, etc.  We all live where we can afford to.  I would like to live on the bluff in Lunada Bay, but I can’t afford it, and I’m not going to ask all you guys to pay for it.  2)  I have a hard time believing that this is not at least partially the result of unbridled illegal immigration beginning about January 2020 for reasons I think we all understand.  3)  When these monstrosities become white elephants (think Eastern Bloc cities — Prague, etc, where big ugly buildings were built by the Communists to house the proletariat — who is going to pay to tear them down?  My prediction is that this isn’t going to end well.

If you want to get involved in preventing this gross government over-reach, join Our Neighborhood Voice on the link below.  This is a grass roots movement to get an initial on the 2026 ballot that will return zoning control to local cities as the State constitution intended.  You can also join “Neighborhood Voices of Silver Spur” at SaveTheCanyon.net.

I try to keep up on this, so for the latest please feel free to email me at [email protected] or call me at 310 613-1076 

Our Neighborhood Voices

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 at 7:10 am and is filed under Everything I've Written, History & Current Events, Palos Verdes Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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