Council Wrap up: Homeless, Youth and Oil

By Jorge Casuso

Sept. 24 -- In a vote devoid of the controversy and drama that had embroiled the issue, the City Council Tuesday night authorized nearly $7.4 million in housing trust funds for a homeless facility in Santa Monica's industrial corridor.

The vote comes six weeks after the council diffused the politically charged issue by approving a compromise plan that would house the Ocean Park Community Center's 55-bed shelter in a two-story vacant office building at 1751 Cloverfield Boulevard, but would keep the “drop-in” center near downtown.

In stark contrast to last month's vote -- where opponents and supporters packed the council chambers, overflowing into the hallways, the downstairs lobby and outside the building -- the council cast its vote in a nearly empty chamber after hearing from two speakers.

Acting jointly as the redevelopment agency, the council authorized a $1.2 million loan and a $6,197,112 grant to OPCC to purchase and rehab the facility, which will replace the current 20-bed shelter at 7th Street and Colorado Avenue that will be shut down to expand the City bus yard.

As directed by the council on August 12, OPCC will, upon acquisition of the property, immediately convey it to the Redevelopment Agency, which will in turn immediately lease the property back to OPCC. The social service provider can use the property solely for affordable housing during the 55-year term of the lease.

Under the council's compromise plan, the drop-in center expected to serve more than 200 homeless people daily -- which many nearby Pico residents felt would turn their neighborhood into skid row -- will be located behind the bus yard on a site currently used to provide lockers and showers for the homeless.

After last month's council vote, OPCC called the plan "a workable compromise," while the Pico Neighborhood Association, which led the charge against the facility (particularly the "drop-in" center), called it a "significant achievement."

In other actions Tuesday night, the council:

• Approved the reallocation of grant funds from Woodcraft Rangers to Public Health Foundation Enterprise to operate the Pico Youth and Family Center for the balance of fiscal year 2003-04. The move assures that the center, which serves at-risk youth, will stay in operation while it files for its own non-profit status.
  
  
• Authorized $1.76 million in contracts with KOMEX, Inc. for technical oversight, design, construction and operation of an MtBE remediation facility at the city-owned Charnock well field. All five City water wells at the Charnock well field were shut down in 1996 due to MTBE contamination from underground gasoline storage tanks and pipelines owned by various oil companies. Under a 1997 settlement with the City and a 2000 administrative order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the cost of replacement water continues to be funded by the responsible parties.
  
  
• Authorized a $100,000 contract with Cowan Communication arts for design and production of outreach efforts and products for the Environmental Programs Division.
  
  
• Approved a $375,000 contract amendment with BRH Garver-West, Inc. for the Ocean Avenue/Main Street sewer rehabilitation and road-resurfacing project.
  
  
• Authorized release of city funds to LA County to hire a hearing officer for the Juvenile Offender Intervention Network program in Santa Monica.
  

The council also adopted on second reading an interim ordinance requiring new or expanded uses on the Third Street Promenade not to exceed 50 linear feet of frontage. The ordinance is intended to curb the influx of large chain stores to the popular strip.