Dear ER:
Beach Cities Health District CEO Tom Bakaly asserts that the Healthy Living Campus plan does not require a vote of the people. It will need a CUP (conditional use permit) authorized by the Planning Commission and the City Council. So, yes it will get a vote of the people since the commission and council are made up of people acting as the public’s designees in such matters. They will vote yes or no to approve a CUP. In layman’s terms, this means RCFEs (Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly) are not allowed on public zoned land. So, if you want it there, an exception from these two groups must be approved for the project to move forward. Bakaly implies that since Silverado Memory Care received a CUP, then the HLC plan should also. Yet, the plan on the table is no Silverado. It’s a monstrous, for-profit private entity (though claimed to be a “public-private” partnership). It’s presented as necessary in a city with senior housing options in every direction. It’s the antithesis to what should be granted an exception on a publicly-zoned area, in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood. The Planning Commission and City Council of Redondo Beach need to be reminded that their review is critical to this project and they need to hear from residents. They should recognize that the spirit of this public zone allows for open space and recreational facilities, period. This fact is especially critical since Redondo Beach suffers a density crisis as it is, and faces more with the possibility of state density bills passing in the future. Our city planning commission and city council have the control and should easily see that a privately run, massive and unnecessary structure in a public zone warrants a sound denial for a CUP.
Lara Duke
Redondo Beach
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