VBA Squares off Against City of Big Bear Lake over More Low Income Housing

In the September 2009 VBA Voice, President Charlie Brewster, in his Presidents Message, expresses his frustration with the lack of progress and the years of pleading with the City regarding improvements in Landscape and Lighting, Parking and Better Pedestrian Connections from the Village to the Lake. Earlier this summer, Village Merchants were awakened during their busiest season to learn a 42 unit government subsidized rental project was being approved that would create a hard boarder for future development of the Village on Knickerbocker at Pennsylvania, adjacent to the Elementary School, just as the large senior housing complex (owned by City Councilor Bill Jahn) has done on the South of the Village.

It seemed to me that at the Public Meetings regarding the hastily approved Knickerbocker Low Income Rental Complex, Residents, Merchants and the City Council (who unanimously approved the project despite pleas by Village Merchants to reconsider the location of the apartments as less than optimal for residents and the vitality of our Retail District) were assured by the Redevelopment Agency Director, that any more low income projects would be made widely know to all and certainly not be clustered in the Village area.


Apparently, the City does not consider the property on Badger and Bartlett (in the Village Specific Plan District) currently zoned Village Retail (the most restrictive zoning intentionally set aside for future retail expansion) to be worthy of mentioning to anybody, even as late as the first public workshop to update the current Village Specific Plan on August 31, 2009, that it is in the planning process for yet more subsidised housing.


As Verizon has already initiated splitting the parcel that they currently occupy, and have the property on Bartlett and on Badger in escrow pending approval of this new low income project, I assume promises have been made to the developer and Verizon as to the outcome of this latest stab by the City, to re-designate the vision and current use of Village property by the City's Redevelopment Agency and City Council.

In his message, Mr. Brewster urges all property owners and businesses to have their opinion heard by filling out his attached petition and making sure it is recognized by the City Council.

VBA Voice: http://tinyurl.com/nld932