BUENA PARK : VFW to Relocate, Ending Dispute

A two-year-old dispute between Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8954 and the city came to a close Monday night, as the City Council unanimously approved the purchase of the post’s Homewood Avenue clubhouse.

Acting on a request by the veterans’ group, council members unanimously agreed to buy their headquarters at 6410 Homewood Ave. for $55,000. An additional $57,000 was tacked on for relocation expenses.

“They have been a strong part of the community and we have worked hard to find an amicable solution, “ Mayor Don R. Griffin said after the vote.

The property, which is zoned for single-family residences, will immediately go up for sale, said May Hui, assistant director of economic development. The city will also pay about $6,000 to demolish the building.

After almost a year of shopping, the post is ready to buy a replacement site at the Trico Industrial Park at 7290 Melrose Ave., post officials said.

The action brings to an end two years of controversy spawned by a drive-by shooting at the lodge’s headquarters in 1989. The incident caused a contingent of frightened and angry neighbors to complain to the city that the hall should not be located in a residential neighborhood. The problem was not the veterans, the residents said, but outside groups who rented the hall.

In response, the council cracked down on the VFW by restricting their operations, including prohibitions against renting their hall and requiring a parking area. Because their lodge is in a residential neighborhood, the vets could not find the space for parking.

In April, the Planning Commission began eviction procedures. But instead, the city has been working to help them find a new home.