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BUENA PARK : Veterans Post Faces Closure by the City

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The Planning Commission has begun proceedings to close the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8954 on Homewood Avenue because the organization has not solved a chronic parking problem.

The five-member commission was legally bound to take action to get the group’s conditional use permit revoked after city officials found that the post had failed to create more parking, as required by the permit.

Nonetheless, several commissioners said they do not favor forcing the veterans to leave the hall. A hearing is scheduled next month to discuss the matter.

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“I just can’t support revocation at this time,” Commissioner William Kenney said.

The panel’s action follows more than a year of disagreements between the city and the post. In September, in response to complaints by neighbors living near the hall, the City Council upheld a commission decision barring the veterans from renting the facility in the 6400 block of Homewood to outside groups.

The hall had been used for weddings and large gatherings that residents had complained were often too noisy. They also complained that party-goers littered the neighborhood and that the gatherings sometimes turned violent.

The last straw, many residents said, came last March, when gunshots were fired in front of the lodge during a party. No one was injured.

As a result, the council limited the hours when the hall could be open and required the VFW Post to provide parking for patrons. Officials with the veterans’ group say they have complied with the restrictions, except for providing more parking.

But Dan Curtis, a member of the group, said attempts have been made to solve the parking shortage. A vacant lot across from the hall, however, was sold before the post could acquire it, leaving no new parking alternatives.

Since the council restricted use of the hall, the post has offered the structure for sale. Members contend that without rental income they will be forced to move. Rentals to outside groups generated about $9,000 in income annually, Curtis said.

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To make ends meet, the 500-member post has done away with many charitable activities and trimmed such expenses as utilities, Curtis said.

He said that two bidders are interested in buying the hall, but that the veterans have been unable to find affordable site.

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