Sandbox: Change happens, embrace it
by Vanessa Poster
Beach Cities Health District
Board of Directors
Over the many years I have served this community as an elected official, I have seen the evolution of healthcare and health services, as well as changes in the way municipal services are offered.
Who would have thought, more than a quarter century ago, that we would close hospitals because in-patient care was no longer the norm?
Who would have thought, more than a quarter century ago, that health care districts and cities would be joining forces to promote wellness in the workplace to reduce absenteeism, decrease healthcare costs and improve job satisfaction?
Who would have thought, more than a quarter century ago, that schools and cities and health care districts would have found common ground in supporting the mental health of young people with a facility as innovative as allcove? Or be able to significantly reduce childhood obesity with gardening, nutrition, and exercise programs in the schools?
The world changes. Housing needs change. Healthcare needs change. And the need to replace aging infrastructure and accommodate new community needs continues to change.
We did know, however, a quarter century ago, that an aging population would require more and more services, including safe places to live within sight of their families. So, we started to prepare. At BCHD (Beach Cities Health District) we worked with the City of Redondo Beach to obtain a Conditional Use Permit (one that remains in place) to provide safe residential services to older adults with memory disorders at Silverado Assisted Living on the BCHD campus.
The need for residential services for the elderly continues to grow. Even though BCHD has extensive programs to help Redondo Beach and other Beach Cities residents to age-in-place, that isn’t always possible. Our older adults will need someplace to live that can meet their needs for socialization, safety, and healthcare.
BCHD’s historic and remarkable partnership with the City of Redondo Beach has meant we as a community have been able to meet the challenges that an unprecedented world-wide pandemic forced us to face.
BCHD’s historic and remarkable partnership with the City of Redondo Beach has meant we as a community have, up until now, been able to meet the challenges of an aging population and an aging infrastructure.
BCHD’s historic and remarkable partnership with the City of Redondo Beach has meant we as a community must be ready to meet the challenges of the next 20 to 30 years.
Innovations, such as the Silverado CUP, allcove, Workplace Wellness Programs, Gardens in the Schools, Walking School Bus, and bike paths happen when we, as municipalities and special districts work together to solve problems, find solutions, and build infrastructure.
Safeguards are in place to provide the city with a voice in concerns about design in local building during the Conditional Use Permit process.
The proposed Redondo Beach General Plan already contains the wisdom to see that a supportive, healthy partnership between BCHD and the City of Redondo Beach is in the best interest of the community: See Policy LU-4.2, which says the City should, “seek to incorporate health considerations into land use planning;” and LU-4.7, the City should “build and maintain partnerships” with organizations such as “health care providers, health-promoting non-profits and community-based organizations to evaluate and implement land use projects in a manner that improves community health.”
It pains me that the City of Redondo Beach, my city, a city that I love and have called home for more than 30 years, has chosen to make a recommendation in the city’s general plan that constrains all of us in finding creative solutions to meet our community’s needs into the future.
I urge the City Council and the Planning Commission to make the FAR (Floor Area Ratio) limitation on the BCHD Campus equal to and commensurate with the FAR cap on the Redondo Beach Civic Center at 1.25. It is the healthy choice. ER