Roadblocks to Daytime Homeless Center Crumble

Gov. George Deukmejian signed legislation Tuesday clearing the way for construction of the Neil Good Day Center for the Homeless on the fringes of downtown San Diego.

The proposed $695,000 facility, which has been enmeshed in red tape for more than three years, would be downtown’s first place where the homeless can go during the day for showers, laundry and other services.

The legislation opens the way for the state Department of Transportation to sign a lease with the city for $1 a month and administrative fees for a 25,000-square-foot piece of property along Interstate 5 and 17th Street between K and L streets.

“We hope that this will once and for all be the last obstacle to building this center,” said Frank Landerville, project director for the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, the group that originated the project. “It seems clear to us that virtually everyone in the community is in support of this project.”

The city, which has signed the proposed lease, expects Caltrans to sign the lease within the next few weeks, said Paul Downey, spokesman for Mayor Maureen O’Connor. Landerville also said the homeless task force expects Caltrans to sign the agreement soon.

San Diego Caltrans officials were not available for comment.

The second step toward building the center is selecting a new contractor. The first contractor backed out after realizing that he had miscalculated and underbid himself by about $95,000, Landerville said.

The rebidding process should not delay construction, officials said. New construction bids for the 5,000-square-foot building and 5,000-square-foot outdoor lounge are scheduled to be put out in August and a contract is expected to be signed by late October, said David Allsbrook, projects director for the Centre City Development Corp., the city’s downtown redevelopment agency.

Construction is to begin by late fall and be complete by late April, Allsbrook said.

Tuesday’s legislation appeared to remove the final legal obstacle, declaring that the tract earmarked for the center is not “excess” Caltrans property and did not need to be advertised to potential buyers.

A nearby property owner, Weldon W. Griffin, president of Weldon Griffin Realty & Mortgage Co. in La Mesa, had filed suit seeking to block the proposed lease between Caltrans and the city.

A Superior Court judge refused to grant a temporary restraining order, and Tuesday’s legislation reaffirms Caltrans’ position that the property is not surplus, meaning that the state agency can use property for future road expansion.

Griffin declined comment. His attorney, Jon P. Chester, was not available for comment.

Plans call for the center to accommodate up to 200 homeless people and provide bathrooms, showers, mail and message service, laundry, storage of personal belongings and public telephones.

Center staff will assist the homeless with social service and public assistance programs, mental health and substance abuse counseling, job training, legal assistance and other services.