Monday, August 05, 2019

Kanye's 'Star Wars' Solution for Affordable Housing: Concrete Domes in Calabasas

UPDATE from Housing Wire:
5 days ago - Kanye West's venture into affordable housing may be coming to an abrupt end thanks to his angry Calabasas neighbors . . .
Here's what Kanye West's idea of affordable housing looks like, and why it may never be realized
Neighbors want rapper's Star Wars-inspired domes demolished
Jessica Guerin
. . . Last month, a recent Forbes profile of the rapper-turned-designer revealed that West is working on designing prefabricated, low-income housing with a Star War’s aesthetic, shopping the idea to investors as a potential housing solution for the homeless. . .
After at least two calls to the City of Los Angeles regarding late-night construction noise, an inspector dispatched to the property for a second time determined that the structures did not appear temporary in nature and would therefore require permits before more building could commence.
West’s team has 45 days to secure the proper permits, or authorities will demand the prototypes be taken down.
(Photos courtesy of L.A. County Public Works)
 

 

 
Let's take a look from two different directions - but first a thank-you from an early morning news-feed from Axios 3 hours ago that stated TMZ "broke the news" 4 days ago:
Kanye West's plan to solve the affordable housing problem
by Shane Savitsky
"Kanye West has become the latest mogul to embark on a world-saving venture, building 50-foot-high wooden domes in California for a secret housing project that the rapper "believes will break the barriers that separate classes," according to a TMZ report.
Why it matters: The uber-rich are increasingly using their wealth — Kanye is worth $240 million, per Forbes — to personally design projects that they believe will fundamentally alter the way humans will live in the future . . .
The state of play: While Kanye might be viewed as something of a dilettante — often jumping between music, fashion and design — he's had his eye on the architecture space for over a year.
  • And he told fellow rapper Charlamagne Tha God last year that he wants "to be one of the biggest real-estate developers of all time" while the two toured the Calabasas property on which the domes would ultimately be built.
  • "We're standing on my first property. I’m going to be one of the biggest real-estate developers of all time, what Howard Hughes was to aircrafts and what Henry Ford was to cars — just the relationships I have with architects, my understanding of space and sacred proportions, Just this new vibe, this new energy. We're gonna develop cities."
    The other side: Experts doubt that Kanye's project could ever actually scale to make a dent in Los Angeles' housing problem. "You would need to build 100,000 of these every year for the next 10 years to scratch the housing backlog," Tyler Drew, president of Anubis Properties Inc., told Realtor.com.
    • He also cited the city's zoning laws and its activist, "not-in-my-backyard" population as roadblocks to ever seriously expand Kanye's affordable housing concept.
    • Such zoning restrictions, which disproportionately impact low-income residents and people of color, limit cities from getting denser and are often the primary drivers of exploding housing costs in booming cities, as Axios' Erica Pandey reported. "
    _________________________________________________________________________
    1 from Dish Nation in an upload to YouTube
    published on Aug 1, 2019 that seems NIMBY
    Kanye West aims to end homelessness with... domes?
    Yeezy plans to build a housing community on 300 acres of land he purchased. Tune in to find out why the hosts think the people of Calabasas won't be too happy about this . . .
    LINK > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4jClEQJZw
    ______________________________________________________________
    Now one from Forbes, contributed by Lauren Alvarez | Hollywood & Entertainment
    3,332 views July
    A Look At Kanye West's Dome Housing Community In Calabasas
    Kanye West hasn't been quiet about his efforts to build affordable housing that will ultimately help bridge the gap between social classes. But now, there's proof of it. West is up to a new project currently under development, implementing new dome-like structures in Calabasas, California.
    He is ultimately making these structures in attempt to eliminate divisions between different levels of income classes, but not much has been said as to how individuals can qualify for the buildings. The domes are located on land he bought in the area, and they stand tall at approximately 50 feet high.
    In a recent profile with Forbes, the Chicago rapper revealed he had plans of building a Star Wars-inspired accommodation to help with low-income housing on 300 acres of California land. The initial plan was announced on Twitter by Yeezy himself last year in May. He stated on the platform:
    We’re starting a Yeezy architecture arm called Yeezy home. We’re looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better."
    Yeezy Home is working on affordable housing, which is being called the Social Housing Project, according to Hypebeast.
    While the dome-like structures are still in early development, it's sure to change the game in the current housing market today, specifically and especially in Los Angeles, a city where the homeless population is at a soaring high and a continuing topic of discussion.
    Will there ever be a viable solution? It's unsure, but Kanye is trying his best...
    For a first look at the housing initiative, head here for full demonstration photos."
    Here's the bio for Lauren Alvarez: writer, music critic, and digital producer born and raised in Los Angeles. My extensive work in music, entertainment, and pop culture has appeared in Billboard an...
    LINK > https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenalvarez/2019/07/31 
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Sunday, August 04, 2019

    Off-Broadway Summer Stock: 3rd National Tour For Hit Musical "Book of Mormon" Opens in Tempe For 6 Days Then Off To Salt Lake City

    That's right! The award-winning show with 9 Tonys and 1 Grammy that opened on Broadway in 2011 is now going on its third national tour on-the-road - the surprises might not be quite as fresh, but the fans won’t stop coming. 
    According to one review, 'The Book of Mormon’ reads like a guidebook on everything you shouldn’t do in a commercial production. A story steeped in religion, set in a disease-stricken African village and littered with anti-God refrains doesn’t exactly scream mass-market appeal — and yet somehow it all works, and after eight years, it’s still packing in audiences with an entertaining story about two clueless missionaries sent to Africa.
    SIX DAYS ONLY!

    Starting on Tuesday, August 6th for evening performances running through Sunday, August 11th, with afternoon matinee performances on both Sat Aug 10 and Sun August 11.
    _________________________________________________________________________
    Here's a slew of reviews and snippets from https://bookofmormonbroadway.com/press
    > It all started in Salt Lake City. Utah's capital is ‘where we started our journey,’ says Trey Parker, the show's co-creator. He and longtime artistic partner Matt Stone, both bred in Colorado (and co-creators of the animated sitcom "South Park"), visited the city frequently as young men. Years ago, they took Mormon collaborator Robert Lopez on his first trip there, hoping to gather inspiration for a ‘full-on history piece about Joseph Smith,’ the founder of Mormonism — albeit in a musical-comedy format.”
    ‘The Book of Mormon’ is an irreverent look at religion and faith through the misadventures of two mismatched missionaries.”
    ‘The Book of Mormon’ is back with its profane, sometimes profound look at clueless Americans abroad"
    ". . . this satirical, quick-witted production is sure to give you a night full of laughs and new take on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
    “Vulgar, blasphemous, juvenile and unrelenting, ‘The Book of Mormon’ may be the most influential piece of musical theatre Broadway has seen all century. Since the show hit the road six years ago, it’s traveled into the Heartland, the Bible Belt and even Utah, aka New Zion, to almost entirely positive acclaim.”

    ". . . Musically it is written in such a way that it isn’t even subtle that it is trying to reference and evoke different styles of musical theater in every song. It’s really fun. There are a lot of toe-tappers and hopefully you’ll be humming some tunes as you go out.’”
    ______________________________________________________________________
    ONE QUICK SHORT REVIEW posted in http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/get_out
    ‘Book of Mormon’ returning here a third time
    ______________________________________________________________________________
    4 days ago there was this record-setting announcement:
    (Word-for-word as published online from Tumblr)
    Fuck Yeah! The Book of Mormon
    fuckyeahthebookofmormon.tumblr.com
    VIDEO: THE BOOK OF MORMON
    Surpasses 42ND STREET as Broadway's 14th Longest Running Show!

    ______________________________________________________________________
    According to this press release from Andy Lefkowitz | Broadway Buzz
    ‘The Book of Mormon’ Surpasses ‘Grease’ as
    15th-Longest-Running Show in Broadway History!
    May 2, 2019
     
    “‘The Book of Mormon” made history this week. Reaching its 3,389th performance at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, the Tony-winning smash hit surpassed the 1972 original Broadway production of ‘Grease’ as the 15th-longest-running Broadway show.”
     
    Credit for the smash-hit that opened on Broadway in 2011 also goes to Robert Lopez who also wrote another Broadway hit
    "Avenue Q"
    _______________________________________________________________________________
    Image result for national tour "book of mormon" 2019ON TOUR SCHEDULE >
    Tour Schedule - The Book of Mormon on Broadway | Official Site
    https://bookofmormonbroadway.com/tour
     
    Date City Venue
    > 8/06/19 - 8/11/19
    Tempe
    ASU Gammage
                
    > 8/13/19 - 8/25/19
    Salt Lake City
    Eccles Theater
     
                
    8/28/19 - 9/01/19
    Dayton
    Schuster Performing Arts Center
    9/06/19 - 9/15/19
    Cleveland
    Connor Palace
    9/17/19 - 9/22/19
    Madison
    Overture Center
    9/25/19 - 9/29/19
    Regina
    Conexus Arts Centre
    10/08/19 - 10/13/19
    University Park
    Eisenhower Auditorium
    10/15/19 - 10/20/19
    Hartford
    The Bushnell Performing Arts Center
    10/22/19 - 10/27/19
    Rochester
    Auditorium Theatre
    On Sale TBD
    10/29/19 - 11/03/19
    Bloomington
    IU Auditorium
    On Sale TBD
    11/05/19 - 11/10/19
    Memphis
    Orpheum Theatre
    On Sale TBD
    11/14/19 - 11/17/19
    Monterrey
    Showcenter
    11/20/19 - 12/08/19
    Mexico City
    Centro Cultural Teatro
     
     
     

    Controversial 132-acre "Auction Land-Deal" Gets A Name: It's Been Dubbed "Reserve at Red Rock"

    According to this article  yesterday by Jim Walsh East Valley Tribune Staff Writer, Sean Lake (the zoning attorney for Blandford Homes) has filed plans that describe how an essentially untouched swath of pristine desert land in northeast Mesa - long-promised as a public park that was auctioned off by the City of Mesa with a winning bid of $21.1M - would eventually turn into an upscale community - “a high-level gated, resort lifestyle residential community,’’ - with big lots for close to 300 homes.
    However, at this point-in-time nothing is finalized - it is only the first filing made to the Planning & Zoning Board months after the controversial high bid at an auction that was a surprising $5,000,000 more than the estimated sale price - it essentially gave city coffers a windfall of five million if the sale is a done deal. The developer still needs to complete a site plan, a minor general plan amendment and all other necessary zoning approvals before it can complete the sale."
    _________________________________________________________________________
    Factoid1: Blandford looked at the smallest lots in Red Mountain Ranch and made sure their lots were larger.

    Factoid 2: The northern border of the 132-acre "Reserve at Red Rock" abuts the 600-acre Nammo Talley Industries, a defense contractor that has requested a buffer zone of 27 acres between its ammunitions manufacturing facility and any residential housing.
    _________________________________________________________________________
    “Special attention was taken during the design process to create as many premium home sites as possible, taking advantage of the natural desert setting and mountain views,’’ the conceptual plan says.
    Staff writer Walsh takes the time to note that Christine Zielonka, Mesa’s development services manager, clearly states: “We are absolutely at the very beginning stage, . . None of it is finalized yet. . . We are a long way from figuring out what this is going to look like.’’ 
    __________________________________________________________
    When complaints were made over the history and narrative initially provided by the city's 6-member Planning & Zoning Board (all nominated and appointed by Mayor John Giles) for the unspoiled 132-acre parcel, Zielonka also states in the article ". . .  that officials also will update a page on the city’s website that lists documents describing the site’s history going back to the ’80s."
    When news of the city's proposed Auction Land-Deal became public, it was controversial from the very beginning.
    Residents of the adjacent Red Mountain Ranch opposed it.
    So did Verl Farnsworth, speaking up in public in front of the Mesa City Council:
    BLOGGER NOTE: readers of this blog can use the Searchbox on this blog to more at least three or even more earlier posts featured about the auction land-deal topic of interest
    1
    2
    3

    Nevertheless, "the $21.1M auction land-deal" somehow managed to get approved by the Mesa City Council. In the face of that opposition. Staff Writer Jim Walsh takes pains to publish yesterday that "Zielonka estimates that the Reserve at Red Mountain probably won’t come before the city’s Planning and Zoning Board for about nine months and before the City Council for about a year. . . "
     ________________________________________________________________________
    The filing by zoning attorney Sean Lake for the upscale high-level resort-style gated community — dubbed Reserve at Red Rock by developer Blandford Homes — is only a first draft for a 132-acre site once set aside with a promise made by the city for development of a public park in 1998.
    "Blandford has put a substantial down payment on the property, but needs to complete a site plan, a minor general plan amendment and all other necessary zoning approvals before it can complete the sale."

    __________________________________________________________
    The first post on this blog for Nammo Talley was this from October 2015
    https://mesazona.blogspot.com/2015/10/nammo-talley-back-in-news.html

    Friday, August 02, 2019

    PLANE-SPOTTING Question: How did the First 4 Apaches get to India? ANSWER: The Guppy

    < Here is "The Guppy", The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-124 "Руслан") (NATO reporting name: Condor) is a "heavy-lifter" strategic airlift quadjet - a Ukrainian cargo plane and the world's largest military transport aircraft with a payload capacity of up to 150 tons.The Cargo from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Hindon Air Force Station: the first four Boeing AH-64E(I) Apache Guardian attack helicopters for the Indian Air Force.
    > A second batch of four is expected in early August.
    > According to Boeing, the deliveries are being made ahead of schedule. .
    According to Aviation International News 30 July 2019 , "The Indian Air Force’s first AH-64E(I) flew at Boeing’s Mesa, Arizona plant in July 2018 and Indian pilots and technicians began training in the U.S. that year. The first helicopter was formally handed over to the IAF in a ceremony at Mesa on May 10, 2019.
    In March 2018 Tata Boeing Aerospacea joint venture between the two industrial giants—opened a new facility in Hyderabad to build Apache fuselages, which are shipped to the final assembly line at Mesa. The first fuselage was delivered in June the same year. TBA is now the sole source for AH-64 fuselages, and also supplies other components for the program." 
    "Following reassembly and air test, the eight AH-64s are due to move to Pathankot AFS in Punjab, where the Indian Air Force expects to formally induct the type into service in September. The operating unit is expected to be No. 125 “Gladiators” Squadron, which previously operated Mil Mi-35 “Hind” gunships. The remaining 14 AH-64s from the initial Indian order will be delivered in 2020. A second squadron is expected to form at Jorhat AFS in Assam, which currently hosts An-32 transports and Mi-17 helicopters.
    India became the 14th customer for the Apache when it signed for 22 AH-64E(I)s in September 2015, also buying 15 CH-47F(I) Chinooks at the same time. The first of the CH-47s arrived in India by sea in February. The Defence Ministry approved the procurement of six more Apaches in 2017, with these aircraft intended for service with the Indian Army."
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    RELATED CONTENT:
    
    First Four AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters Arrive in India
    _________________________________________________________________________
    RELATED CONTENT:
    Touring the Antonov AN-124-100M: Climb Onboard one of the Largest Cargo Planes in the World
    "It was a beautiful winter day on the ramp of the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM) in Portsmouth, NH.  A handful of us were watching FlightAware and listening to air traffic control on the radio.  Just over the buildings to our left, descending on short final, we caught our first glimpse… the 120-foot-long by 21-foot-wide by 14-foot-high cargo area.  In case you’re wondering how big this is, imagine 42 Ford Explorer SUVs parked inside, three-abreast, 21-deep, and stacked two-high.  You would still have room to walk around.
    . . . This is not a Boeing, and it is far from an Airbus.  There are six stations, not counting relief pilots.  This is old school stuff.  Navigator, radio operator, weight and balance, load, pilot, copilot etc…  Taking a closer look at the flight deck, I felt lost.  . .
    The airplane can hold 26,486 cubic feet in volume of cargo. It can fly 2,889 miles and requires 9,843 feet of runway holding nearly 132 tons of cargo.  It was an amazing opportunity to see this aircraft up close and I want to thank my friend Kate who made this happen.  I also want to thank the cargo team who gave us the tour and were so friendly and accommodating.  I was able to take my son along (he is the one climbing the latter in the photo above).  They gave him a model of the AN-124, and yes I was jealous. 
    This airplane is as impressive up close as it is from the spotter’s field of any local airport you may see it at.  Keep an eye out for it.  Who knows when it may be summoned to your local field to transport a new engine for some airline!
    LINK > https://www.airlinereporter.com/2019/04

    Thursday, August 01, 2019

    MPC: Build-It + Retring Boomers Might Buy It > A Seller's Market

    Where To Retire Magazine has published what they call "The Short List" for Retirement Re-Location.
    The selected master-planned communities included in the list were chosen based on first-person testimonials.
    If you can believe that "first-person testimonials" are in any way reliable and objective and unbiased, then the list is exactly what you need. Here's the source:
    https://www.wheretoretire.com/50Best.cfm 
    The East Coast states of North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina and Georgia

    Cartoon Carousel The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics | By POLITICO STAFF 01/23/2026 05:00 AM EST

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