Finding Room for SROs Takes Effort : Political Will, Community Education Sorely Needed

The recent demise of a proposal for a 240-unit single-room-occupancy project in Huntington Beach was unfortunate, but it holds some important lessons for the future. One of them is that proponents of SROs must do a better job of educating communities where such projects might be built--while at the same time recognizing that the NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) syndrome will probably be a factor almost anywhere. That means public officials can’t simply fold every time a homeowner group utters a peep.

The other lesson is for the communities themselves, which need to go beyond their initial, predictable responses to such projects. As has been shown in San Diego and other areas, SROs provide clean, safe, affordable housing. They can be a valuable component to Orange County’s economic well-being. Shooting down every project that comes along may lead the county--already suffering from problems that stem from a lack of low-cost housing--to an even worse situation.

SROs are sorely needed in Orange County for people who can’t afford apartment rents that are higher here than most other areas of the state. That means the elderly, disabled, minimum-wage workers and others on low incomes have great difficulty finding a place to live.

SROs are set up like hotels, with a front desk and shared kitchen, recreational or other facilities. In days past, SROs were usually found in hotels that had seen their better days. But now, thanks to innovative projects in San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country, new SRO hotels have been shown to be a valuable asset to local communities. That’s what is envisioned for Orange County as well.

Despite their recognized value, however, there are no such projects--old or new--in the county. In the past year, civic leaders, including Orange County Supervisor Roger R. Stanton and Santa Ana Mayor Daniel H. Young, have led efforts to help nonprofit organizations and private developers come up with economically viable projects. Several are now in the works, including YMCA and YWCA projects in Santa Ana. But none are yet open. The project in Huntington Beach would have been a major step in getting private-public SRO partnerships off the ground in Orange County.

The project was withdrawn by the Orange County Transportation Authority--which had worked with a developer to put the units above a planned bus center--because authority staff said SROs might further delay completion of the center and therefore endanger federal transportation funds that had been granted but not yet utilized. But also important to the decision was community opposition to both elements of the project.

Withdrawal of the project also had the effect of taking Stanton, who also is chairman of the authority, off the hook. He was faced with either voting against the county’s first major SRO project--after being a major proponent of SROs--or approving a project that was the target of a nasty opposition campaign orchestrated by local homeowner groups.

Proponents have vowed that another SRO site will be found in Huntington Beach, where the City Council has been supportive of the idea. They say a better job will be done to educate nearby residents and businesses. They also say they want the county’s first privately developed project to be a model for the area. Those are good plans.

But, if they are to be successful, they must also stick to their guns when things get tough. That part of leadership may not always be pleasant, but it can help make Orange County a better place to live.