City prepares for Triathlon #2

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Remember our Triathlon last September?  For a few hours, some of our streets were accentuated with adrenaline, action, and applause.   Now our city is giving Riviera residents a chance to weigh in on the balance sheet of the event.  This week’s City Council Meeting will feature “a staff report reviewing the Pacific Sports Triathlon that was held on Sunday, September 21, 2014 near Torrance Beach.  City staff will be presenting this report to the City Council on their findings with a recommendation with conditions if this event should take place in the future.  Members of the community are encouraged to attend, and share their thoughts about the event.”

If you live along the bicycle course for the Triathlon, you should have received a notice in the mail.  Please use this opportunity to provide feedback – it could well be helpful as considerations are being made for a 2nd annual triathlon this September.   Click here for the complete agenda for this week’s (Tuesday, January 27) meeting, and the Community Services staff report, which includes homeowner survey results.

 

Push is on for view ordinance

Building on last year’s success in getting our City Council to consider a view/vegetation ordinance, the RHA is hosting the city’s Community Development Department for our February 11 General Meeting. We hope you can be on hand to hear the consideration of different options and to provide feedback to the city officials. More details will become available before the meeting, so save the date.

Have you lost your view because of a neighbor’s trees? Show us!

If you have photos showing how your view has been blocked, please send them to us in order to show examples of how an ordinance might best address the problem.  Ideally, the photos would be taken from a commonly used part of your house and would include ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparisons.  These may be emailed to president@hollywoodriviera.org or printed and mailed to
PO Box 1074
Torrance CA 90505

You may include your address, if you wish, or indicate if you wish to remain anonymous.

Legado Development hearing delayed

The November hearing on the new development proposed for PCH and Palos Verdes Blvd (site of the old Bristol farms and PV Inn) was cancelled, but is expected to be re-scheduled in the months ahead.   We will continue to monitor developments, along with homeowner groups in Redondo Beach, as this mixed-use residential/retail/hotel project proposal progresses.

Happy (non-fiscal) New Year!

Of course we wish all of you happy holidays and a healthy, prosperous New Year.  But please remember, the RHA’s fiscal year runs from September to August, so we’re really well into our year already!  If you have made your contribution for 2014-15, we thank you heartily, if not – it’s not too late.  Please consider clicking to our membership page to contribute online, or find out where to send a check.  Only through your contributions can we possibly continue to represent the Riviera and bring you vital information on your community.  We also thank our recent newsletter advertisers for their support, but we need to restore our membership dues levels if we are to continue the newsletter and other services.  And don’t be shy about volunteering your time or ideas!   Happy New Year!

HappyNewYear2015

December Doings

Riviera Holiday Stroll Thursday, December 4 from 5 to 9 pm.

Come one, come all down to the village – see the parade, see Santa, enjoy the (delightedly damp) merchants and their tidings of cheer and good shopping.  That’s tomorrow, if you see this today — or today, if you see this tomorrow!

The Holiday Parade down Catalina Ave. steps off at 6 pm and features local bands, Scout troops, dance groups, and plenty of delectable goodies.

Stroll with friends under twinkling lights amid holiday cheer.  Take a horse-drawn carriage ride past the beautifully decorated shop windows.  Listen to local bands playing on Ave I following the Parade.  Make it a great night to meet up with friends, start your shopping, and get some holiday cheer on.

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Sleigh bells ring – we’ll be listening!

What’s December without Santa making the rounds, courtesy of the Torrance Police Officers Association?  If you’re unfamiliar, prepare to hear the loudspeakers announcing the coming of the silvery sleigh, which makes several steps near your home on its sojourn to bring cheer to all.   For a map showing the routes over the Riviera and through the roads, click on the maps below, or visit the TPOA web site with the detailed schedule here.

Santa visits the Riviera 2014

Riviera Elementary Craft Fair (and Bake Sale)

 – Saturday Dec 6 10am – 2pm at Riviera Elementary

  • This long-standing Riviera tradition is a favorite in the community as the Riviera Cafe is turned into Santa’s Workshop for just one day.
  • Spend time with the family as you create unique and adorable crafts that will be treasured for years to come.
  • Come enjoy the festive atmosphere of families and friends together crafting amidst the scent of delectable baked goods!

A year’s worth of Landscapes

Kudos to our Landscape Chair Neva Gallegos and Lynn Fernandez and Bobbie Davison from the Riviera Garden Club for a year’s worth of selecting and awarding outstanding landscapes that bring beauty and gardening wisdom to our Hollywood Riviera.  Click here to see the wonderful landscapes awarded each month.

And thank you to all our members who have supported the RHA this year
Happy Holidays!

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Reminder: Riviera Homeowners Association General Meeting Wed. November 12, 7 PM

Reminder:

Riviera Homeowners Association General Meeting 
Wednesday, November 12 2014, 7 PM.
Richardson Middle School

Our speakers this night will be HOA presidents and community activists who have been working with the city of Redondo Beach. They will share the latest information about the construction plans for the corner of Palos Verdes Drive and PCH, at the old Bristol Farms location.

We can tell you that developers have designed 180 apartments for the site and it is planned to be a four-story, 56-foot tall development!!

Find out how this development will affect you and our neighborhood!  There is no doubt that it will affect traffic and density for Hollywood Riviera residents.

 Please note: the Redondo Beach city council hearing on this topic originally scheduled for Nov. 20 has been postponed. We’ll announce new date as soon as it’s confirmed.  (Link to the notices here)

We will also have speakers from a non-profit called South Bay Village which aims to keep seniors in their homes instead of retirement homes.

Doors open at 6:30.  Refreshments will be served.  Annual membership dues checks gladly accepted!

Tree/view ordinance for Torrance gains steam

Dear friends and neighbors:

On Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Torrance City Council did something that many people said would NEVER happen:  they voted unanimously to examine the view ordinances of neighboring cities, hold community meetings and write a draft tree/view ordinance!!

We are sure that the council’s unanimous decision was due in part to all the emails and phone calls from residents in favor of a tree ordinance.  Certainly the number of people who came to city council to speak with such sincerity about the problems that residents face because of the lack of guidance and restrictions was very convincing.  After the council voted to examine tree/view ordinances, Mayor Furey said that they will  begin the outreach program to HOAs and community groups after the first of the year.

Thank you so much to residents for supporting the view ordinance.  We think it will go a long way to restoring views, eliminating disagreements, and rebuilding relationships between neighbors.

Thank you again for coming down to city hall to share your ideas with our local representatives.  It really made a difference!

The Riviera Homeowners Association will be happy to host or co-host meetings in 2015 when city hall is ready to begin working out the details.  See you at the meetings!!

Judy Brunetti
Amy Josefek
Pam Popovich,   co-presidents, Riviera Homeowners Association


Next Riviera Homeowners Association Meeting 

Discussion of the new “Bristol Farms” Development

Wednesday, November 12, 7-9 PM

Residents of the Riviera and the public are invited to hear impacts anticipated by the new Legado Development (at the old Bristol Farms site) on PCH & Palos Verdes Blvd.

Although not in Torrance city limits, the development (actually in Redondo) certainly will affect Riviera residents, being just across the street.  As proposed, the 4-story (!) project would contain 180-rental units (including 9 low-income ones), plus the 110-rooms at Palos Verdes Inn, plus almost 40,000 sq feet of retail/commercial space.  It’s clear the underground parking spaces will not be nearly sufficient to accommodate all resident, hotel, retail and employee capacity needs.

This mixed-use construction would greatly increase traffic/safety issues on PCH, Riviera parking/cut-through traffic, and residence density directly across from the Riviera.  Find out what this would mean to you and what you can do about it!

The meeting will be held at Richardson Middle School, 23751 Nancy Lee Lane, Torrance CA near the corner of Newton and Calle Mayor.  Doors open at 6:30. Light refreshments will be served.


 Riviera PTA treats the Riviera community

Kudos to the Riviera PTA for inviting the neighborhood to a rockin’ and rollin’ end-of-summer Concert on September 28.  Attendance was great, as was the weather, the music, and the goodies on sale by the Riviera Class of 2015 5th-graders.   We appreciate all the hard work and dedication by the parents and teachers up at Riviera, especially when they thrill the community like this.

Riviera PTA rocks El Retiro Park

Riviera PTA rocks El Retiro Park – tunes by “Hack”


Coming Nov 6th – Parent Ed Night: “Tempering Technology with Musical Brain Builders”, presented by Sharlene Habermeyer, M.A., on the effects of music on the brain development of young children. At the Riviera Elementary cafeteria from 7-8pm.


It’s never too late to join the RHA!
Click here for membership information, including a way to check your status.
Pay your dues online, or bring a check to the Nov 12 General Meeting –
Don’t make your neighbors carry the load.


Riviera Village – Halloween Trick or Treat  Friday, October 31, 4 to 6 pm
Catalina Ave will be closed between Ave. I and S. Elena  3:30 to 7:00 pm for the annual Trick or Treat Event