Council OKs Mixed Use for Surplus Navy Land

After a heated debate about the need for affordable homes, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday decided to turn over surplus Navy housing in the San Pedro area to a host of new tenants, including a Catholic college and an expensive private school in Rolling Hills.

The council, in an 8-4 vote, approved a controversial plan to establish civilian uses for a parcel of 545 homes that once housed military personnel assigned to the now-closed Long Beach Naval Shipyard.

The site, which includes three-and four-bedroom homes on wide curving streets, is in Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro. There were a variety of competing proposals for its reuse, including the preservation of most of the property for the homeless and low-income families.

But under the measure approved Friday, most of the property was recommended for educational uses, leaving 109 dwellings for housing programs and other units for a variety of smaller projects. Federal regulations permit a wide array of private uses of former military land, so long as there is a public benefit.

Before the vote, council members debated the need to save more of the Navy housing for the poor rather than recommend it for uses that will result in its demolition by private entities.

“We should preserve as much of this housing as possible,” said Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who voted against the plan along with Jackie Goldberg, Rita Walters and Mike Hernandez. “To do otherwise will condemn it to the path of the bulldozer. I am concerned about the appropriateness of giving these units to private concerns.”

Goldberg agreed, saying it “seems crazy to tear down this type of housing.” She told the council that some of the Navy homes are in excellent condition.

But harbor area Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., who supported the plan to include the private schools, said the council should respect the citizens committee that came up with the recommendations.

“This takes in all the needs of the community,” he said. “It would be irresponsible to wipe away nine months of work.”

Many residents of the San Pedro area favor educational uses for the Navy land instead of another housing project. Property owners and businesspeople contend that the community already has more than its share of facilities for the homeless, the mentally ill and substance abusers.

“The San Pedro community has an abundance of this kind of housing,” said Councilman Hal Bernson. “It’s not fair to put all these projects in one area of the city.”

Under the plan, 76 homes will be set aside for the homeless and 33 others will be earmarked as affordable housing to be sold to low- and moderate-income families. The houses for the homeless will be administered by Southbay Crossing, a Christian organization that runs a food bank in San Pedro.

An additional 68 dwellings will go to UCLA’s Research and Education Institute, now based at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance. Marymount College will receive 86 homes to be used for an academic resource center, student housing and a student health facility.

Rolling Hills Preparatory School, which wants to build a campus on the Navy land, will receive a parcel containing 138 homes, which will either be demolished or relocated. The school, which charges $12,000 a year in tuition, has 225 students in sixth through 12th grades.

To compensate for the loss of dwellings that could be used for the homeless, the plan calls for the educational institutions to donate $2.2 million to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which administers housing projects for the poor.

The plan must be approved by the federal government. Negotiations will take place to determine any revisions in the plan and how much, if any, compensation the new tenants will pay the government.

During the debate, Miscikowski and Walters expressed concern that Southbay Crossing, the proposed manager of the facilities for the homeless, has no experience in administering housing projects.

But Barry Glickman, Svorinich’s chief of staff, said that if Southbay Crossing is not successful, the city Homeless Services Authority can remove the group.

The plan approved Friday was the work of the San Pedro Area Reuse Committee, a group of harbor-area residents headed by Rob Katherman, a lobbyist and government consultant.

Some political activists in San Pedro contend that Katherman’s position on the committee presents a conflict of interest because Brian Mosich, a government consultant who works out of Katherman’s office, represents Rolling Hills Prep School. Mosich also was an aide to Svorinich.

Katherman said there was no conflict because Mosich is an independent contractor who only receives telephone calls at his office. He also said that the Los Angeles city attorney’s office determined there was no problem with Mosich representing the school.