Voters in Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach will decide whether they want property owners to pay a $30 million bond to cover part of the expansion of local public health agencies.
The Beach City Health District was proposed to voters in three coastal cities in the Nov. 5 general election to house the All Cove Beach City Mental Health Center and open wellness space for youth ages 12 to 25. They are asking for B.C. legislation to be approved to fund the building. For the whole community.
The Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office has begun shipping mail-in ballots and voting centers are scheduled to open on October 26th. Citizens can register to vote until October 21st.
If B.C.’s bill is approved, the building authorities plan to house Allcove Beach City, a mental health center for youth aged 12 to 25, and two acres of public outdoor green space nearby. A bond of $30 million will be authorized for the payment of. It will also provide funding for the installation of water- and energy-saving systems and the demolition of old facilities.
The bond, which BCHD is calling a “Health and Wellness Bond,” will collect a total of $1.7 million in annual property taxes from residents of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach for 30 years.
The bond would be subject to a tax of $3 per $100,000 of assessed property value, and the money would be used by BCHD to repay the bond. For example, if your property is worth $1 million, you will pay $30 each year.
Allcove Beach Cities currently operates from the fourth floor of BCHD’s main campus, 514 Prospect Ave., in Redondo Beach. But Mental and Physical Health Authority officials hope to build a separate 9,000-square-foot, two-story center in the youth gathering space and pay for it with bond money.
BCHD CEO Tom Bakary said the current BCHD building, which is more than 60 years old and originally housed South Bay Hospital, needs earthquake-proofing and safety upgrades. However, it will eventually be demolished to create two acres of open green space for youth, seniors, community health programs and public leisure.
Meanwhile, the All Cove and Open Space projects are just part of the first phase of the agency’s planned Healthy Living Campus. Another big part of the first phase is a planned assisted living and memory care facility for seniors. The facility accounts for the bulk of the first phase’s $225 million price tag.
However, the assisted living and memory care portion is still in the exploratory stage given the state of the commercial finance market and may not move forward, Bakary said.
Formed in 1955, BCHD asked coastal city voters to approve a bond measure only in 1956, when it built South Bay Hospital. The $1.5 million bond at the time covered about half of the $3.5 million total project, with state and federal funds covering the rest.
Here’s a breakdown of the estimated costs covered by the $30 million:
$8 million to demolish the current building. $7 million to develop open space to replace it. $3 million to complete the Allcove building. $7 million to build a parking garage and connect the future All Cove site to the main campus or green space. $5 million for planning, architecture and engineering;
The bond will also have a financial oversight committee.
Bakary said BCHD has already received nearly $7 million in state and federal grants toward construction of the new All Cove Center. He added that the bond funding will allow the agency to build on its basic modular construction, connect the site to the main campus and develop open outdoor spaces.
Construction on All Cove’s permanent housing is expected to begin this fall, with a target completion date of late 2025, Bakary said.
Demolition of the current main campus buildings is likely to begin in late 2026. After an 18-month demolition process, the open space will be developed, with a total timeline of up to five years, he added.
And while this tax only affects people living in the three beach cities, All Cove is open to young people from all over the South Bay.
Bakary said BCHD wants to make All Cove bigger and more impactful because it recognizes the increasing intensity and urgency of the care its community members need. said.
“We’re doing more suicide risk assessments than expected, we’re doing more safety planning, and we’re detecting more early psychosis than we expected,” Bakary said. “We want to serve people better and meet their needs.”
But the entire Heathy Living Campus is a phased approach, Bakary said. Bakary said the agency will begin considering moving forward with the second and final phase, which will include a $325 million pool, parking garage and community wellness pavilion, once the first phase is complete. said.
But if the assisted living and memory care portion of Phase 1 doesn’t materialize, Bakary said BCHD probably won’t pursue Phase 2 either. Still, he added, the old building will be demolished regardless of whether the bond bill passes or not.
But the first phase of the campus could be affected by decisions Redondo Beach will soon make about how much space it can build in the city.
The Redondo Beach City Council on Oct. 15 will consider lowering the floor-area ratio for development, or how much can be built on public land. The Planning Commission last month approved changes to the city’s comprehensive plan, or multi-year development guide, and is now turning the matter over to the Leadership Commission for a final decision.
That could have a significant impact on plans for both All Cove and the second phase, Bakary previously said.
BCHD officials hope to be able to build on a floor-area ratio of 1.25, or an additional one-quarter of the total site area. Meanwhile, the Planning Commission has proposed a ratio of 0.5, which would allow construction on only half of the lots.
Under the proposed rules, neither Phase I nor Phase II would be allowed as planned.
