Developers pitch their ideas for Rockhaven
Developers who have submitted seven proposals for the revitalization of the former Rockhaven Sanitarium had an opportunity Tuesday to make their case to the public and the City Council as to why their plans are the best fit for the community.
All seven proposals had been available online as of last week, but anyone who did not review every submission could listen to a five-minute pitch from each developer at one place and time.
No proposal was to be adopted because the presentations served only as an opportunity for the developers to field questions from council members in a public forum.
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A final selection is expected to be made on Nov. 15 after a committee makes a recommendation to the council. Still, there is no guarantee that any project will be selected, and the council could then reissue a request for proposals or pursue another option.
Should the council choose one of the seven, it would likely enter into an exclusive negotiation agreement — a nonbinding arrangement to conduct good-faith negotiations and allow both parties to name a time frame to determine the feasibility of a project, usually 180 days.
Three designs — one each from Summit Senior Life, Cliffside Malibu and Houk Development Co. — propose to rehabilitate Rockhaven close to its original operation as a medical/mental health facility.
Houk’s in-patient psychiatric treatment facility would purchase the property for $8.6 million and have residential group homes. Cliffside, a substance treatment center, would pay $6 million to build sober-living units and later, recreational facilities. Senior Life’s assisted senior living center, with a public park dedicated to Rockhaven founder Agnes Richards, would pay $5 million.
Two developer duos submitted designs for a boutique-lifestyle commercial center.
Avalon Investment Co. and Creative Space would strike a roughly $4.12-million deal for the property to build a 45-room hotel and public amenities. They also estimate $465,000 in transit-occupancy tax annually.
For $2 million to the city, Brooks Street and the Lab plan to build 30 residential units and to rehabilitate portions of Rockhaven for retail and community use.
The two remaining proposals add a park element to their boutique commercial center design.
With the Friends of Rockhaven group as an adviser, Gangi Design LED Build submitted a design to renovate 14 buildings for retail and nonprofit use. It offered no purchase price, and instead estimated $50,000 a year to the city generated from roughly $5 million in taxable sales annually.
Metro Investment would pay no money for the property. Instead, it would ask for a city loan of $3.25 million to build 36 homes for first-time buyers. The sales of those units would then fund the rehabilitation of 12 Rockhaven buildings for retail use as well as various amenities.
Only one proposal, by Houk Development Co., would offer upfront more than the $8.25 million — the amount the city paid in 2008 to purchase the site and protect it from demolition.
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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com
Twitter: @JeffLanda
