History lesson 5- Spanish Village by the Sea. Ole Hanson had vision and everything was thought out before it was constructed. The city in its entirety was built as a master planned community. This picture depicts the roads which where all designed by city engineer William Ayer. Ole insisted the roadways were built with the contours of the landscape versus the traditional grid like pattern. If you live here and still get lost driving around maybe it will now make a little more sense. You are not alone, it was a visual flow for homes not practical for cars. The group of homes on the bottom right became known as the Pasadena Colony because so many people from Pasadena built beach homes in that area.
For me, this is all too familiar. My dad was a land developer growing up. Over a ten year period I watched him develop a master plan community in Utah with over 8,000 homes and 30,000 residents, churches, schools, amphitheater, golf course, shopping centers, etc. I worked there in the summers with my brothers and friends building miles of fences, parks, playgrounds. I eventually learned to drive backhoes, bobcats, and anything else that could get me away from actually having to get my hands dirty. At the time I hated working out there but looking back it was an incredible experience and I’m amazed with what my dad was able to accomplish.
