Hospital Project May Not Take Homes, County Says

Los Angeles County will probably not need to purchase the remaining homes of residents near County-USC Medical Center to make room for a new hospital, officials wrote to neighbors in a letter mailed Friday.

Residents in Marengo Terrace, a 7.5-acre swath of land on the east side of the medical center, have been waiting for four years to find out if the new facility would displace them.

Two neighboring streets were bought out and bulldozed in 1995 to clear the way for hospital construction.

But although the proposed size and site of the hospital have been changed, frustrated neighbors said they had not heard any updates from county officials on the new plans would affect their properties.

After an article in Monday’s Times detailed the lack of communication to Marengo Terrace residents, county officials said they were sending bilingual notices Friday to 14,000 nearby businesses and neighbors explaining the status of the project.

If county and federal officials approve the revised hospital project, “the county will not need to acquire additional land,” states the letter, signed by three top officials.

Officials also promised to develop a community outreach plan and to hold a series of community meetings, starting in September.