Weekly News Roundup – Dec. 23, 2013

Ponte Vista Closer to Green Light
Downsized plans for the long-debated Ponte Vista housing development — now with fewer than 700 units and no apartments — made it one step closer on Tuesday to reaching the Los Angeles City Council and eventually breaking ground. The proposed housing development for former Navy housing on Western Avenue, which has drawn criticism for years from residents concerned with traffic congestion, was approved unanimously by the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee and will next go to the City Attorney. The plan will then go up for a vote before City Council next year, when work on the site could begin.

City Council Approves AltaSea’s 50-Year Lease
The Los Angeles City Council approved a 50-year lease on Tuesday for the $500 million, 35-acre urban marine research center planned for a 100-year-old pier of warehouses in the outer harbor known as City Dock No. 1.

The lease between the Port and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc. was approved by the Board of Harbor Commissioners last month. AltaSea, the research campus that could take at least 15 years to complete, is estimated to generate more than 6,500 construction jobs and 1,350 long-term jobs.

So far, $82 million — including $25 million from the Annenberg Foundation — has been raised for Phase One, which could be completed in the next four years.

Badfish Shop Door Vandalized
The front door of Badfish Clothing Company on Sixth Street was smashed in the early morning hours on Saturday. The shop captured video of a skateboard clutching suspect wearing a hoodie and backpack who remains at large.