Community Alert for February 27, 2013

Howdy friends and neighbors of the hills!

Does this look right to you?

Tomorrow night the Montebello City Council will be holding it's regularly scheduled meeting.

The Save the Montebello Hills Sierra Club Task Force sent out the following email alert to their supporters list:

At this February 27, 2013 Wednesday's Montebello City Council Meeting the council will consider a fifty thousand dollar economic development contract with Kosmont Companies and Kosmont Realty Corporation. This contract includes specific types of work regarding the proposed Montebello Hills high density housing project. Larry Kosmont, president of the two companies, will be present to answer questions.

The city council agenda for this meeting does not mention either the Montebello Hills proposed project or the fact that Mr. Kosmont will be speaking. Once again the community is not being appropriately informed. To figure out what the Kosmont entities would be doing to earn their fees, it is necessary to read the contract and an Attachment/Memorandum which lists specific tasks for each of several listed projects.  Imagine our surprise when we read, in the Memorandum:

Task 1:  Montebello Hills, d) Solicitation of anchor tenant interest in retail component of Montebello Hills

Why should all of us be concerned about this item?  Well, here's a few reasons:

1. The CEQA required evaluation process is far from over. A revised Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) has not been finished and issued for comments.

2.The public has not had the opportunity to make comments on the revised DEIR or attend study sessions on the revised DEIR.

3. Montebello City Planning Commission and City Council hearings are still far in the future.

4. The final decisions regarding what will happen to our hills are also far in the future. Also, the alternative plan to have a retail component in the hills is a recent addition and not part of the original DEIR.

So why does the proposed contract have Kosmont Companies acting as a rental scout for something that may not ever exist? Isn't this putting the cart before the horse, to use an old fashioned expression. At a recent city council meeting one member of the public asked if Mr. Kosmoint was working for the city or for the would-be developer of our last remaining open space hills. That's an interesting question.

Mr. Larry Kosmont will be at this Wednesday's meeting. Perhaps you can think of a few questions to ask him yourself. We encourage concerned persons to attend the city council meeting.

LET'S SAVE OUR HILLS.


Linda Strong
Chair, Save the Montebello Hills Sierra Club Task Force

The agenda for tomorrow night's meeting can be found at the City of Montebello's website here.
 Y'all have to scroll down quite a ways to find the "supporting documents" for the council meeting that mention the Montebello hills.  

Something tells me Mr. Kosmont is going to get an earful tomorrow night!

Another way to express your opinion is to sign the Sierra Club's brand new ONLINE PETITION. 


Y'all come back later for a report on what may turn out to be a mighty interesting meeting!


Daisy Mae