For decades, Patterson Elementary School has sat as a shell of its former self. The former school has hosted city and county employees as well as the students of a charter school since its closure in 1981.
But with the sweeping passage of Measure K, the site that has twice been declared a surplus property will become a significant revenue generator for the Redondo Beach Unified School District through the construction of the Kensington, a home for seniors specializing in Alzheimer’s care.
By 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, with all precincts reporting in, Measure K was approved by the voters of Redondo Beach 64.5 to 35.5 percent. The final tally was a confirmation of the early vote by mail totals, which showed approval of the measure by more than 70 percent of counted ballots.
“I’m very pleased that the community saw that it’s the right thing for the property and that it would help the school district,” said school board president Anita Avrick. “I think it’s a win for the whole community, so I’m very excited.”
With Measure K’s passage, the Patterson site at 320 Knob Hill will undergo a change to its zoning as a P-CF community facility, allowing for the construction of residential care facilities for the elderly. Once the project is finished, Kensington owner Fountain Square Development will pay the school district $614,000 a year, with increases for inflation, over a 99 year lease.
That the land is tied to a lease rather than sold is key to the district’s plans; had the land been sold, RBUSD would have had to use the returns solely for capital improvements, per state code. Lease revenues can be used to pay into faculty and staff expenses, which are increasingly important as the district’s student base grows. Fountain Square’s proposal was selected in the fourth of a multi-year series of bids for the land lease, ultimately winning out over a boutique hotel.
Three days before the election, RBUSD Superintendent Steven Keller was standing atop a fire hydrant along Pacific Coast Highway next to Redondo Union High School, when he looked down into a nearby car.
“You love kids?” he asked the driver. “Vote yes on K!”
The rally to support Measure K was thrown together on short notice, pulling a page out of the Redondo Beach Teachers’ Association playbook, he said.
“They assembled together like this for Proposition 30 a few years ago,” he said. “It’s a little bit of shock and awe, rallying the troops to vote yes on Measure K.”
But it was indicative of the support the measure had. Members of district-affiliated unions, school board members, administrators and Redondo citizens alike turned out to show support for the ballot measure.
“There’s not much to be against it,” said Planning Commissioner Doug Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, who recently announced his candidacy for the District 2 City Council seat, held a banner and chanted in support of the measure alongside K’s supporters that Saturday. “[The Kensington] was voted on unanimously by the planning commission, by the school board and by city council,” he said. “And to get the council to vote unanimously on something related to rezoning is tough.”
Opponents to the project, including Bruce Bernard of MeasureKNotOK.org, argued that the projected Kensington project, a two story, 96 unit facility, was too large for the area, out of character with the surrounding neighborhood, and not the best deal that the district and city could have made. Bernard, a latecomer to the opposition, lamented the disorganization of those urging against the measure.
“I think it’s a good example of when a corporation puts a ballot measure together, pays for it, pays for the advertising and promotion that goes along with it,” he said, believing that K supporters had a good strategy and implemented it well. “I’m disappointed with the way the process went forth, including the fact the opposition group should have started earlier…they had a voice, but it wasn’t heard.”
The voice of the voters, however, reflected Avrick’s belief that the project was a win for all involved.
The next step for the Kensington project is approval from the California Coastal Commission. Dates for those hearings are pending
