LA HABRA : Hearing Tonight on Shelter for Homeless

A controversial proposal to construct the city’s first temporary housing project for homeless families will go before the Planning Commission tonight for the fourth public hearing in eight months.

The controversy has been sparked by the proposed location of the project, known as Mary’s Home for Families in Transition, which is planned for a vacant, 1.55-acre lot south of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and School. Neighboring residents and parents of children who attend the elementary school have protested that the home will increase traffic, decrease property values and degrade the area.

The nonprofit Mary’s Home is proposed to house up to 32 families for an average stay of six to 18 months, offering on-site counseling and assistance services. It is designed to help homeless families--especially single mothers and their children--get back on their feet, project coordinators said.

In addition to approval of the project, Mary’s Home planners are seeking a zone change that would increase the maximum number of allowable units from eight to 14, a zone variance to reduce the number of on-site parking spaces from 107 to 48 and a permit for the operation of a day-care facility for as many as 32 children.

Each request requires either an amendment to the city’s General Plan or a special zone variance. The zone change was denied by the Planning Commission last December after residents raised concerns about the home.

The City Council then recommended that the zone-change request be re-submitted along with the project plans. At a meeting in March that attracted about 75 residents on both sides of the issue, the Planning Commission delayed making a decision pending completion of an additional traffic analysis.

Mary’s Home proponents said they anticipate that the project, named after La Habra resident Mary Kretschmar, who bequeathed money to help the city’s needy and homeless when she died in 1986, will be approved because of a favorable report from the city manager.

The report indicates that if the applicant abides by conditions outlined by city departments, there should not be a negative effect on the surrounding community. It also notes that “the current traffic flow will improve” if recommendations by the city Traffic Commission are implemented.