(Feb. 27, 2008, updated) -- A December 18 City Council action (8-1, O'Donnell dissenting) recommending reuse of the Willow St/Grand Ave. Army Reserve facility as an East Division LBPD facility -- with an off-site daytime homeless services component near the SW corner of the adjacent LB Health Dept facility -- is the topic of a community meeting tonight (Feb. 27) scheduled by the grassroots group Neighborhoods First at Buffum school, 2350 Ximeno Ave. at 7:00 p.m.

At the Council meeting, nearby residents and Neighborhoods First reps testified against the action...which city staff said was the best option and a neighborhood-sensitive proposal consistent with the federal process mandated by Congress for the surplus Defense Dept. property.

City staff says that [under federal mandates] the homeless accommodation is required regardless of the land use decision...meaning even if the City Council decided to recommend a use other than the Police Substation, the homeless accommodation would still be a requirement of the base reuse plan.

Image source: City of LB staff report, Exhibit A. To view this document in pdf (enlargable) form, click here.

Neighbors said they weren't given notice and were effectively cut-out of the City Hall-run process. City management says it proceeded by the book and the process was open and public from its inception.

Moving the LBPD facility from its present location on Los Coyotes Diagonal between Clark and Ximeno to Willow St. at Grand Ave. would move it out of Councilman O'Donnell's 4th Council district...and into the 5th Council district of Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, who voted with the rest of the Council to back the plan. 4th district residential neighborhood border the area to the southeast.

Councilman O'Donnell was the sole Council dissenter on the December vote...and at a Feb. 23 ELB "meet-and-greet" attended by LBReport.com said, "I remain unconvinced that it's a good thing for the neighborhood. I'll be there [at the Feb. 27 Buffum School meeting] to listen."

Councilwoman Schipske told LBReport.com that the Feb. 27 meeting conflicts with a previously scheduled 5th district event, thus preventing her attendance. [For Councilwoman Schipske's emailed comments prior to tonight's meeting, click here.]

Neighborhoods First leaders Paul DeJung and Joe Sopo [the latter an LBReport.com advertiser] say neighbors, and ELB residents, should be concerned about their safety and the impact on their home values. Mr. DeJung, who lives in the Carroll Park area, says he views City Hall's actions as part of a larger neighborhood-unfriendly policy, backed by downtown interests and their Council allies, to shift the homeless into mainly residential ELB.

The issue separately came up during Q & A directed to Mayor Bob Foster at last night's (Feb. 26) Jr. Chamber of Commerce Beer & Politics session...when a social service supporter indicated she favors having such services on the site. Mayor Foster replied [summary paraphrase] that he supported the Council's action backing city staff on the issue.

As first reported by LBReport.com in December, the issue that faced the City Council on December 18 was what reuse should LB City Hall recommend for the Army Reserve Center at 3800 E. Willow St. -- an ELB landmark across from The Grand Event Center, diagonal to the Alpert Jewish Community Center and just north of LB's Grand Ave. Health Dept. HQ.

Should it become LBPD's new East Division station with a required homeless assistance component offsite, southward of the Health Dept. (favored by City Hall staff)...or should it become a full-site homeless facility OR low income housing OR transitional housing OR a mental health facility OR a CSULB facility OR CSULB housing, favored by other parties?

The 8-1 Council voted approved recommending the LBPD + offsite/Health Dept. adjacent homeless services component to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Under the Congressionally-decreed process, HUD will make a recommendation to the Dept. of the Army which will decide the matter...and isn't expected to vacate the property until 2011.

LBPD, LB city staff and a City Hall appointed "citizens advisory committee" recommended an LBPD East Division substation with a requisite "homeless service accommodation" at an offsite location adjacent to the LB Health Department's SW corner in an industrial area on Burnett St. On that site, city staff proposes a Mental Healthcare Access facility (designated "MHA" on the map below) staffed by the Mental Health Association of Greater Los Angeles, delivering what City Hall's website describes as "offering outreach, assessment, psychiatric treatment and medical evaluations."

City staff says site adjacent to the Health Department is "approximately 1-acre, currently accommodating four temporary buildings for administrative staff. The site also provides secured storage and parking for various Health Department equipment and vehicles. As an accommodation for the homeless, the site would provide a suitable location for MHA's Homeless Healthcare Access Program. Further, the site would provide an isolated location with convenient access to public transportation, and, due to its location adjacent to the Health Department, possibly allow for potential joint programmatic activities."

City staff says LBPD's current East Division station (on Los Coyotes Diagonal east of Ximeno Ave.) is "undersized and provides inadequate facilities for its nearly one hundred and fifty employees. The East Division covers 23.9 square miles and is the largest patrol division serving approximately half of the City of Long Beach. The current East Division facility is 7,000 square feet, while the City's West and North Divisions are 22,000 square feet. The Police Department has searched for alternate locations for seven years, finding only a lack of appropriately sized vacant properties or other unsuitable facilities. The high cost of land has also been a prohibitive factor."

Other entities propose other uses, most of which would put homeless and/or low income or transitional facilities directly on the Willow St. site (not offsite near the Health Dept.); only one of the proposals is market-based:

• CSULB proposes a "University College and Extension Services (UCES) facility" (sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Education).

• The CSULB Foundation/Urban Pacific Group propose a market rate proposal "to build a community consisting of 75 for-sale units for CSULB faculty and staff members."

• Habitat for Humanity - Greater Los Angeles proposes a "mixed use, low income housing development" (sponsored by HUD)

• The Nat'l Mental Health Ass'n of Greater Los Angeles proposes various mental health oriented programs and services

• New Economics for Women proposes 100 transitional housing units for single women from throughout L.A. County

• Volunteers of America of Los Angeles proposes transitional housing and supportive services including 29 1,200 SF units (3 bed, 2 bath) and one employee unit.

City Hall staff's proposal includes the caveat that if for some now unforseen reason the Health Dept. can't accommodate the homeless component, an alternative recommendation "would result in a 1-acre parcel [about 21% of the Willow St. parcel] being carved from the Schroeder Hall site and provided to MHA [Mental Health Ass'n] for their use as a Homeless Healthcare Access Program...This alternative would only be enacted should the Health Department site prove to be infeasible for reasons not known today."

Image source: City of LB website

In a publicly agendized memorandum to the Mayor and Council on behalf of city management, Community Development Director Dennis Thys wrote in pertinent part:

In November 2005, the U .S . Department of Defense declared the Schroeder Hall U.S. Army Reserve Center located at 3800 E. Willow Street (Schroeder Hall) surplus under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC). This was the beginning of the disposition and planning process for the site, which will be vacated by the Department of Army in 2011.

In May 2006, the City of Long Beach was designated as the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) . As the LRA, the City is responsible for developing a Redevelopment Plan and a Homeless Assistance Plan for Schroeder Hall as prescribed under the Base Closure Community Redevelopment and Homeless Assistance Act (Base Redevelopment Act) . The Base Redevelopment Act specifies that the LRA is responsible for developing a redevelopment plan that appropriately balances the needs of the community for economic redevelopment, other development and homeless assistance . The final Redevelopment Plan and a Homeless Assistance Plan will be evaluated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Army.

The 4.73-acre Schroeder Hall site is located at the southeast corner of E . Willow Street and Grand Avenue, adjacent to light industrial uses to the south and west, and singlefamily residences and duplexes to the east and southeast . The City's Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) is located westerly across Grand Avenue. The Grand Event Center, Jewish Community Center and two extended-stay hotels are located northerly across Willow Street...

In accordance with federal regulations, staff issued a solicitation for Notices of Interest (NOIs) in June 2006...A total of seven NOIs were received by the December 15, 2006 deadline, which included proposals for private development, public benefit conveyances, and homeless assistance conveyances...

As required under BRAC, the City is required to provide recommendations for two specific components : 1) a land use plan recommendation that balances the social and economic needs of the community and, 2) a homeless assistance plan recommendation. The homeless assistance plan may stipulate that the accommodation for the homeless occur either onsite or offsite . If offsite, the accommodation may be in the form of alternate sites or program funding .

A Base Reuse Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee), representing various community interests, was established to work closely with a professional facilitator to evaluate the seven NOIs. [LBReport.com lists its members below] The Advisory Committee, made up of business owners, homeowners, and community volunteers, met regularly for approximately six months. During this time the Advisory Committee heard presentations from the Planning Bureau, Economic Development Bureau, Health Department, Neighborhood Services Bureau and Airport Bureau to gain a better understanding of the City's current needs and long-term strategic vision...

Advisory Committee's Redevelopment Plan and Homeless Assistance Plan Recommendation

HUD will only consider private economic development proposals that counter significant economic impacts created by the base closure . Since the closure of Schroeder Hall will have a minimal economic effect on the surrounding community, private economic development proposals were considered to be inferior to public benefit proposals . Of the seven NOI's submitted for consideration, only one was a proposal for private economic development . The Advisory Committee chose to reject this proposal. In addition to three homeless assistance proposals, the three remaining land use proposals under consideration included uses for public safety, higher education and low-income housing.

...Working with the professional facilitator, the Advisory Committee determined that the best use of the Schroeder Hall site was to address the City's need for an updated East Division Police Substation. The current East Division facility is undersized and provides inadequate facilities for its nearly one hundred and fifty employees. The East Division covers 23.9 square miles and is the largest patrol division serving approximately half of the City of Long Beach.

The current East Division facility is 7,000 square feet, while the City's West and North Divisions are 22,000 square feet. The Police Department has searched for alternate locations for seven years, finding only a lack of appropriately sized vacant properties or other unsuitable facilities. The high cost of land has also been a prohibitive factor . The Advisory Committee's recommended Redevelopment Plan for the Schroeder Hall site is for a Public Benefit Conveyance for the 4.73-acre site for an East Division Police Substation and an offsite homeless assistance accommodation...

Homeless Assistance Plan

Since the Advisory Committee's recommendation was for an offsite homeless assistance accommodation, City staff began negotiations with the homeless service providers to determine an appropriate offsite accommodation. Of the three homeless assistance proposals submitted, one was rejected, as it was determined through consultation with HUD that the entity did not meet the criteria for a homeless service provider. Of the remaining two homeless service proposals, staff unanimously recommended the proposal submitted by the Mental Health Association of Greater Los Angeles (MHA), as the entity was a more established organization currently providing well-regarded services in the City of Long Beach .

Considerable efforts have been made with MHA to agree on an appropriate offsite accommodation . Up to eight different alternative sites were considered, and offers to fund programmatic funding were also made . These initial considerations were found to be either not financially viable or otherwise unavailable. A recent proposal to provide City-owned property adjacent to the Health Department has been received well by MHA and will have the potential for cross-collaboration for future programming of homeless services...

The Health Department site is approximately 1-acre, currently accommodating four temporary buildings for administrative staff. The site also provides secured storage and parking for various Health Department equipment and vehicles. As an accommodation for the homeless, the site would provide a suitable location for MHA's Homeless Healthcare Access Program. Further, the site would provide an isolated location with convenient access to public transportation, and, due to its location adjacent to the Health Department, possibly allow for potential joint programmatic activities. MHA is supportive of this proposal, as is the Advisory Committee . If approved by the City Council, the City would enter into a Legal Binding Agreement (LBA) for this proposed accommodation.

The use of the current Health Department-owned site for the homeless assistance accommodation would require some issues to be resolved internal to the City, including relocation of some staff, parking and storage issues identified by the Health Department. While no significant obstructions to this accommodation can be foreseen, the cost of purchasing private property for the offsite accommodation of MHA is not financially feasible . For this reason, staff is also recommending an alternative onsite homeless assistance recommendation . The alternative onsite recommendation would result in a 1-acre parcel being carved from the Schroeder Hall site and provided to MHA for their use as a Homeless Healthcare Access Program...This alternative would only be enacted should the Health Department site prove to be infeasible for reasons not known today .

In summary, the following recommendations are being presented to the City Council for approval:

1. Approve the reuse of the Schroeder Hall site for an East Division Police Substation . 2. Approve the offsite homeless assistance accommodation at the 1-acre Health Department-owned site . 3. Approve an alternate proposal, only to be used in the case that the offsite accommodation cannot be provided, for an onsite homeless assistance accommodation in conjunction with an East Division Police Substation.

The Redevelopment Plan and Homeless Assistance Plan, along with the draft LBA, are required to be submitted to HUD by January 11, 2008 . HUD will have 60 days to accept the City's submission and forward to the Department of Army for final disposition discussions, or offer an opportunity for the City to cure any shortcomings . Regardless of how soon the final plans are finalized, the site is not expected to be available for reuse until 2011.

TIMING CONSIDERATIONS

Consideration of this item is requested on December 18, 2007, to adhere to Federal guidelines under BRAC law to complete the planning process by January 11, 2008 .

FISCAL IMPACT

The fiscal impacts of these recommendations are unknown at this time . Assuming HUD accepts the recommendations, the Schroeder Hall site would be conveyed to the City in 2011. It is anticipated that the cost of the conveyance will be $0. It is not known at this time what the fiscal impact of constructing a new police facility would be.

The fiscal impact of conveying the Health Department site to the MHA is also unknown at this time . It is expected that some costs associated with relocating existing Health Department staff and vehicles would be incurred.

Organization: California State University, Long Beach
Proposal Type : Public Benefit Conveyance
Project Description: University College and Extension Services (UCES) facility .
Sponsoring Federal Agency : U .S. Department of Education
Personal Property Conveyance Requested : All available personal property
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site

Organization : City of Long Beach, Police Department
Proposal Type: Public Benefit Conveyance Proposal
Project Description : Relocation of East Patrol Division Substation.
Approved PBC Type: Local law enforcement
Personal Property Conveyance Requested : Critical fixtures only
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site

Organization : CSULB Foundation/Urban Pacific Group
Proposal Type: Market Rate Proposal
Project Description : Proposal to build a community consisting of 75 for-sale units for CSULB faculty and staff members .
Sponsoring Federal Agency : N/A
Personal Property Conveyance Requested: N/A
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site

Organization : Habitat for Humanity - Greater Los Angeles
Proposal Type: Public Benefit Conveyance Proposal
Project Description : Mixed-use, Low-Income Housing development project . Out of 105 total units, 32 will be market rate, while the remaining 73 units will be subsidized for 50%, 80% and 120% AMI .
Sponsoring Federal Agency : U .S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Personal Property Conveyance Requested: None
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site

Organization : National Mental Health Association of Greater Los Angeles
Proposal Type : Homeless Assistance Proposal
Project Description : Various mental health oriented programs and services
Sponsoring Federal Agency : N/A
Personal Property Conveyance Request : No personal property requested .
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site

Organization : New Economics for Women
Proposal Type : Homeless Assistance Proposal
Project Description : 100 transitional housing units for single women from throughout Los Angeles County.
Sponsoring Federal Agency : N/A
Personal Property Conveyance Requested : None
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site Organization : Volunteers of America of Los Angeles
Proposal Type: Homeless Assistance Proposal
Project Description : Transitional housing and supportive services project . Includes 29 1,200 SF units (3 bed, 2 bath) and one employee unit .
Sponsoring Federal Agency : N/A
Personal Property Conveyance Requested: Kitchen appliances & restroom fixtures, fixtures related to critical infrastructure .
Partial Site, Full Site, and/or Offsite Accommodations Requested : Full site

Mr. Geoff McIntosh
Main Street Realtors

LB City Hall has posted a web page with even more details on the process. To access it, click here.