Mike Bonin currently has 3 housing projects – covering more than 8 acres –
planned for Venice on publicly owned land, positioning Bonin to become
the largest developer in Venice since Abbot Kinney himself.
… and aside from a project on 1/3 of an acre in West Los Angeles, Bonin has no new public housing projects planned for any other part of Council District 11.
Venice Median Project: Bonin selected the Venice Median for development under Prop HHH in his role as a member of the City Council. It comprises 2.8 acres straddling the northernmost portion of the Grand Canal, two blocks from the base of Venice Boardwalk. Bonin originally called for “up to 90 small units” on the site, but current plans involve 140 units for 500 residents, plus two multi-level parking structures and more than 10,000 square feet of ground-floor “social enterprise” space. Neither of the developers Bonin selected – Venice Community Housing and Hollywood Community Housing – has ever built a development with more than 42 units.
Thatcher Yard Project: Thatcher Yard is another Venice property Bonin selected, as our councilman, for development in connection with Prop HHH. It comprises 2+ acres immediately adjacent to the Marina Green at the southern edge of the Oxford Triangle, a residential pocket consisting almost exclusively of single-family homes. The developer, Thomas Safran & Associates, has not yet released plans, but additional information is available on the Oxford Triangle Association website at www.oxfordtriangleassociation.com.
MTA Bus Yard Project: Unlike the Venice Median Project and the Thatcher Yard Project, which Bonin commissioned as member of the City Council, Bonin selected the 3.5-acre MTA Bus Yard for development in his role as a member of the MTA Board of Directors. MTA rules require that 35% of units be set aside for affordable housing, but Venice Community Housing has already called for 100% affordable and homeless housing at the site, which Bonin appears to support. The project is still in the early stages, but moving forward.
