by Mark Nelson
StopBCHD.com is a grassroots group that has been attempting to assure the Beach Cities Health District’s proposed Health Living Campus complies with both neighborhood input, and the Redondo Beach Municipal Code.
In light of BCHD’s claims of “misinformation” by StopBCHD, here’s a list of key facts about BCHD proposed commercial development project with PMB, a healthcare real estate developer.
Ownership: PMB, a private company, will be the developer/business owner/operator of a planned, nearly 300,000 square foot, 107-foot-tall building that will run along Beryl Avenue, and Flagler Lane. The building will serve primarily as a private senior assisted living facility. PMB will pay $1.5 million a year to lease three acres of public land, with a lease of up to 95 years. BCHD has a zero percent ownership of PMB’s proposed senior assisted living facility.
BCHD is a renter: BCHD plans to rent a shiny, new space in PMB’s building. BCHD will pay $1.57 million a year in rent. In effect, PMB will get free land from BCHD, and an extra $70,000 in the transaction.
Permitting: The City of Redondo Beach must issue one or more permits to allow the new building’s construction. Redondo Beach must also protect its residents from property value declines, damages to neighborhood character, and enforce a host of related Redondo Beach Municipal Code protections.
Shilling for PMB Permits: BCHD doesn’t have the experience or financial resources to develop, own, and operate the proposed 300,000 square foot building. Therefore, it is leasing land to PMB, a commercial developer. However, BCHD continues to shill for PMB at the City of Redondo Beach, using BCHD’s public agency status to develop a 100 percent private development project.
Assisted Living Use: The average per person rent will be over $11,000 per month, according to BCHD’s $2 million investment banker’s presentation. BCHD reports show that 91 percent of the assisted living tenants will be non-residents of Redondo Beach.
allcove drug and alcohol treatment center: BCHD’s contracted service area for allcove is 1.4 million people. That means that 95 percent of the service area is comprised of non-residents of Redondo Beach, to be serviced in the PMB offices rented by BCHD.
PACE (Program for all-inclusive care for the elderly): National PACE Association statistics show that 97 percent of the PACE facility in the PMB building will be non-residents of Redondo Beach.
Damages: The proposed PMB development is roughly the size of the entire, existing BCHD buildings, though different in that it will be built on the edge of the BCHD property, up against homes. The traffic, privacy impacts, incompatible commercial buildings, and noise will burden Redondo Beach residents.
Gaslighting: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. They define it as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage.” For several years, BCHD has declared every view by the public that disagrees with its privatization of three acres of public land as “misinformation.” That is the very definition of gaslighting. BCHD spent about $1 million on advertising their proposed “Wealthy” Living Campus. That’s taxpayer funded gaslighting by BCHD against the residents and taxpayers who own it.
Conclusion: Redondo Beach residents need to be protected from the damages of the proposed PMB development on public land. The public deserves a Measure DD vote, as required for public land being converted to private use, as was required of the Kensington retirement development leased from the Redondo Beach Unified School District.
PMB needs to comply with the Redondo Beach Municipal Code. A 107-foot-foot tall, 300,000 sq. ft. building up against 30-foot-tall neighborhoods is unacceptable.
For more information, visit StopBCHD.com. Or email StopBCHD@gmail.com. ER
