"Without warning, some 50 strangers had suddenly arrived in vans and were occupying a vacant building on Ocean Avenue the night before Thanksgiving. Some of them smoked cigarettes, others had dogs running around unleashed, and at least one fight broke out during the boisterous move-in. "If I didn't know what was going on, I would have thought it was theater," resident Ashley Oelsen recalled."
"The empty, low-rise buildings at 413 and 825 Ocean Ave. sit on prime, blufftop real estate overlooking Palisades Park and the Pacific Ocean. While the properties have been zoned for use as supportive housing for years, they are surrounded by swank condominiums that have sold for as much as $7 million. The buildings, which were purchased by the Bourne Financial Group in early 2023 for $13 million, are leased by Pustilnikov, who said he is trying to earn rental income from them while he seeks change of use permits from the city."
"The dustup over the sober living center is just the latest in a series of clashes between city officials and Leo Pustilnikov, a developer who was recently ousted from the Downtown Santa Monica Board of Directors for "not being a helpful contributor." The episode has also focused harsh light on a proposal by Pustilnikov and others to convert two senior living facilities into luxury housing."
About 50 people moved into a vacant Ocean Avenue building the night before Thanksgiving in an unannounced, unpermitted sober living operation. Residents reported smoking, unleashed dogs and at least one fight during the boisterous move-in, prompting complaints about safety and lack of notice. The properties at 413 and 825 Ocean Ave. are low-rise, blufftop buildings zoned for supportive housing and purchased by the Bourne Financial Group in early 2023 for $13 million. The buildings are leased by developer Leo Pustilnikov, who says he is seeking change-of-use permits and trying to earn rental income while pursuing a conversion proposal.
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