The Redondo Beach Unified School District cleared another roadblock for the redevelopment of the former Patterson Elementary School, located at 320 Knob Hill, into an assisted-living facility. On Tuesday night, the Redondo Beach City Council voted unanimously to certify the Kensington project’s Environmental Impact Report and make amendments to the city’s local coastal program and general plan.
It’s “another stop along the way,” according to district superintendent Dr. Steven Keller, who says that he’s more optimistic about the project, but not presuming to have hit the finish line quite yet, as the district’s project is still subject to a vote of the people.
“Tonight’s a great night, but there have been so many ups and downs in this process…anything can happen, and mistakes can be made,” he said, though he did say he felt as if the district is at least three-quarters of the way toward its goal.
The two-story, 96-suite Kensington assisted-living project is the latest and thus far most successful of school district’s attempts to monetize the former school site. The site was purchased by the district more than a century ago, in 1907, and the Kindergarten Building, constructed in 1929, still stands today as a potential historical resource.
The school itself, however, closed in 1981 due to declining enrollment, and the facility has twice been declared surplus by public committees — once in 1983, and again in 2007.
Since Patterson’s closure, the district has continually leased the buildings, most recently to the Los Angeles County Office of Education. In 2009, however, RBUSD began taking bids for long-term lease agreements; none of the potential bidders stuck until 2012, when the district accepted Fountain Square Development West’s bid to build the Kensington.
The lease agreement would pay a maximum of $614,250 annually to the district (with escalators for inflation). “It’s undeniable that this is a great thing for the district,” said School Board member David Witkin. “We’ll be able to hire more teachers, it’ll improve our fiscal situation, make our budget more stable, and end up as a win-win-win.”
There was concern from District 2 councilman Bill Brand, who was initially displeased that Article 27 of the City Charter (added with the passage of Measure DD in 2008) would be modified. Article 27 calls for a public vote whenever significant zoning changes, such as a change from public use to private, are to occur. However, the modification includes language specific to the Kensington project itself, which will have to be approved by voters. The amendment is written to ensure that any changes to the project or local coastal program made following state coastal commission review wouldn’t force a second public vote.
Jim Light, the founder of the activist group Building a Better Redondo and a frequent critic of development in Redondo Beach, threw his support behind the project as well — though he does wish that it would be a greater source of revenue for the city. “You’re not going to find a project that generates less traffic than this one…and I think this is a model of how a developer can and should work with the community,” he said.
Passing 4-0, with recusal from District 5 councilwoman, and former school board member, Laura Emdee, the project will come before the Council again on Feb. 16 for final review of coastal program and general plan amendments, and of voting materials.
