Proposed BCHD development

4/22/21 Beach Reporter

The majority of this [Beach Cities Health District Healthy Living Campus] plan would not be for community public use—it'd be a for-profit business on public-designated land, and that's wrong. The board members already know this, but don't care given they've ignored the residents and increased the size and scale of the project since 2019. With schools and homes in every direction, the fallout from this massive development would include-- impossible traffic, destruction of property values, and loss of neighborhood character.

The DEIR asserts there would be no or only minimal adverse effects caused by this project. They end a lot of these points with "...and would not substantially," fill in the blank, "...obscure views of the open sky above, negatively impact traffic, interfere with the neighborhood character." How can anyone with a straight face make such statements when you're wanting to put a giant residential commercial building in the middle of a sleepy neighborhood?

The Planning Commission and City Council of Redondo Beach should easily recognize this should not be allowed, but they need to hear from you. Signing off on this project would be an abdication of their duties if they deem this a suitable project for the area. It is a behemoth structure in a residential neighborhood—completely out of character to surrounding structures. BCHD isn't listening, so we must encourage our city representatives that this RCFE (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly) should not be allowed at this site.

—Lara Duke, Redondo Beach

BCHD’s second site

4/22/21 Easy Reader

Dear ER:

The Beach Cities Health District is proposing a 103-foot tall, 800,000 sq. ft. development on the failed South Bay Hospital site. The primary use that BCHD envisions is a $12,000+ rent/month, assisted-living that BCHDs own reports show is being built for 92% non-residents of Redondo Beach and 80% non-residents of the three Beach Cities that own and fund BCHD. This will be a commercial project built for non-residents of the Beach Cities and will be 75% or more owned and 100% operated by a commercial vendor.

The surrounding residents and schools of Torrance and Redondo have suffered 60+ years of negative impacts from traffic, toxic emissions, noise, along with a 75-foot building in a 30-foot zoned area. South Bay Hospital failed as a public-operated hospital in only 24 years. That’s likely a record for mismanagement and failure of a taxpayer-funded hospital.

The only future project that BCHD should even consider is a voter-approved, publicly funded, affordable assisted living for the seniors in the three Beach Cities.

Mark Nelson

Redondo Beach

Unhealthy district?

Dear ER:

4/22/21 Easy Reader

Even if the Beach Cities Health District development were needed, it should be on an RH zone–residential high density, not a public zone. The majority of this plan would not be for community public use—it’d be a for-profit business on public-designated land, and that’s wrong. It would threaten the health of the residents and the neighborhoods themselves. The board members already know this, but don’t care given they’ve ignored the residents and increased the size and scale of the project since 2019. With schools and homes in every direction, the fallout from this massive development would include– impossible traffic, destruction of property values, and loss of neighborhood character.

The DEIR asserts there would be no or only minimal adverse effects caused by this project. They end a lot of these points with “…and would not substantially,” fill in the blank, “…obscure views of the open sky above, negatively impact traffic, interfere with the neighborhood character.” How can anyone with a straight face make such statements when you’re wanting to put a giant residential commercial building in the middle of a sleepy neighborhood?

The Planning Commission and City Council of Redondo Beach need to know that their review is critical to this project and they need to hear from residents. Their review should be easy in recognizing it should not be allowed, but they need to hear from you! Them signing off on this project would be an abdication of their duties if they deem this a suitable project for the area. It is a behemoth structure in a residential neighborhood—completely out of character to surrounding structures. BCHD isn’t listening, so we must encourage our city representatives to recognize that this RCFE (Residential Care Facility for the Elderly) should not be allowed at this site.

Lara Duke

Redondo Beach