July 29, 2024

Redondo Beach General Plan Update on Agenda at City Planning Commission Public Hearing Thursday

Floor Area Ratio change could adversely impact BCHD's Healthy Living Campus

In its General Plan update, the City of Redondo Beach is considering a reduction in how much can be built on public property – a change that would not allow full development of Phase 1 of the Healthy Living Campus or any development of Phase II (Community Wellness Pavilion, Aquatic Center, Center for Health & Fitness). If approved, this would significantly limit our ability to modernize the campus and would compromise BCHD's ability to provide preventive health services to the community.

The Redondo Beach Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the General Plan update this Thursday, August 1 at 6:30 p.m. You can view the agenda here. (Note: The Planning Commission will continue the Public Hearing on Thursday, August 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.)

In planning jargon, the draft Focused General Plan Update includes a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) – calculated by dividing the gross floor area of a building by the total lot size – at BCHD’s campus at 514 N. Prospect Avenue in Redondo Beach. The change would set a 0.75 FAR on BCHD’s campus while allowing a 1.25 FAR for other public or institutional land use designations.

The FAR cap would be disparate treatment between the City and BCHD. The City is carving out an exception for their Center of Operations, but not allowing BCHD to do the same. Such a cap would be a devastating blow to BCHD's plans for the future.

As this action would directly impact BCHD’s ability to meet the health needs of residents in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, we invite you to actively engage and participate in the public process for the City of Redondo Beach’s draft Focused General Plan Update.  

BCHD supports a 1.25 FAR for all public institutions, including BCHD’s property. 

Get Involved - You can help safeguard & preserve our Public Spaces

Your voice matters, and we encourage you to get involved:

The Redondo Beach Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the General Plan on Thursday, August 1 at 6:30 p.m. You can view the agenda here. 

• Attend the meeting in person and comment during the public hearing. The meeting will take place at Council Chambers at 415 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach
• Attend the meeting via Zoom and comment on the public hearing. (Zoom instructions are available on the meeting agenda)
• Submit an e-comment on item J2. eCOMMENT: Comments may be entered directly on website Agenda page at: https://redondo.granicusideas.com/meetings
• 1) Public comments can be entered before and during the meeting.
• 2) Select a SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM to enter your comment;
• 3) Public will be prompted to Sign-Up to create a free personal account (one-time) and then comments may be added to each Agenda item of interest.
• 4) Public comments entered into eComment (up to 2200 characters; equal to approximately 3 minutes of oral comments) will become part of the official meeting record. Comments may be read out loud during the meeting. 
• Email your comments before Thursday at 3 p.m. to PlanningRedondo@redondo.org

There will be another opportunity to voice your opinion regarding the General Plan at the August 15 Planning Commission meeting.

Building a Healthier Future

To learn more about the Healthy Living Campus, please visit our website at www.bchdcampus.org.

The BCHD Team

In the News: BCHD campus plan at risk by zoning fracas

The Easy Reader ran a story in March titled "BCHD campus plan at risk by zoning fracas," detailing the issues regarding the proposed floor area ratio (FAR) cap on BCHD and other public lands.

Learn more about the Beach Cities Health District Community Health & Wellness bond measure

At their July meeting, the BCHD Board of Directors voted 5-0 to place a $30 million general obligation bond measure on the November ballot. If passed, the bond would provide funds to:

• Safely demolish the old South Bay Hospital building that was built in the late 1950s, and does not meet current seismic construction standards. 
• Replace the building with approximately two acres of open space that will be used for outdoor health and wellness programs.  
• Expand youth mental health services by completing a youth mental health center (allcove Beach Cities) with environmental and sustainability best practices. 
• The measure would levy $3.00 per $100,000 of assessed value on residences in the Beach Cities, generating $1.7 million per year for the project. It would also require that all spending be publicly disclosed and monitored, with all funds being used locally. 

Visit bchd.org to learn more.

BCHD's Healthy Living Campus: Building the Future Home of Youth Mental Health

Groundbreaking expected Fall 2024

The Healthy Living Campus project continues to move forward, transforming the 63-year-old Beach Cities Health District campus in Redondo Beach. Work is expected to get underway this fall with the groundbreaking for the permanent home of allcove Beach Cities. 

The new campus will provide one of the area’s only youth wellness centers specifically focused on the mental health of young people, allcove Beach Cities. The allcove facility will be built at the SW corner of Beryl Street and Flagler Lane, on land owned by BCHD.

Phase I of the campus also includes acres of green space; a unique all-inclusive out-patient facility for older adults that includes medical care, and residential care facilities for the elderly. Phase II includes a Community Wellness Pavilion, aquatics and the Center for Health & Fitness.

About allcove Beach Cities

allcove Beach Cities is part of an innovative network of integrated youth mental health centers for young people ages 12 to 25 with mild to moderate needs across California. The centers provide a unique space designed with, by and for youth that reduce stigma, embrace mental wellness and increase community connection. Anchored in a model from Stanford University’s Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing, allcove Beach Cities is a space to take a moment of pause and access a range of services including, mental health, physical health, substance use, peer support, family support, and supported education and employment.

Since allcove Beach Cities opened in a temporary location on BCHD’s campus in November 2022, there have been more than 5,500 visits by young people ages 12-25.

Last year, BCHD was awarded $6.3 million in grant funding from the California Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP). This statewide program supports behavioral health infrastructure projects, providing new opportunities to address gaps in mental health services.

This grant is specifically for the new construction of allcove Beach Cities, which serves young people ages 12-25 in Los Angeles County’s Service Planning Area (SPA) 8.

Young People and Sustainability at the Forefront

allcove Youth Advisory Group members – 21 young people ages 16-25 from the greater South Bay – are guiding the decision-making for the permanent location of allcove Beach Cities and have emphasized the importance of sustainable and environmentally friendly building practices.

The project team is looking to minimize the environmental and health impacts through:

• Energy-efficient systems in heating and cooling
• Electric vehicle parking for both cars and bicycles, and use of electric vehicles during construction
• Connectivity with transit corridors
• Modular construction to decrease neighborhood impacts
• Solar and batteries for community resiliency hub
• Water management and reclamation
• Sustainable materials and resources
• Pursuit of LEED and WELL certification

Other amenities in the permanent location will include:

• “the cove,” a community gathering space for young people to find social support and participate in events including music, art and life skills, plus quiet spaces to study or relax with support around them
• Ten chat rooms for therapy, meeting with a physician or wellness programming, and available to young people for group projects or study
• “the pantry,” a free all-access snack station for young people to refuel with youth-selected snacks
• “South Bay Café,” an in-house coffeeshop which will also offer an employment training program for young people
• “the hub” meeting space for youth, family and wellness programming



allcove Facility Guiding Principles

* Designed for a moment of pause * Space as therapy

* People are the experience * Options are essential

Keeping Older Adults in Our Beach Community

Open Space

Take a virtual tour of Open Space on the Healthy Living Campus.

In the heart of the campus is approximately two acres of open space. This area has been made a priority for the Healthy Living Campus after feedback from the community and our Community Working Group.

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

PACE is a Medicare and Medicaid program that helps people meet their healthcare needs while aging gracefully in their home/community instead of moving into a nursing home or other care facility.

Older adults looking to age in place in their homes will benefit from a PACE facility, expected to be the next component of the Healthy Living Campus, after allcove Beach Cities.

Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE)

A Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) currently exists on the campus (Silverado) with a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). BCHD's campus is home to approximately 120 people living with dementia who receive specialized care.

RCFE is a critical health need considering 61 million Baby Boomers (born 1946 - 1964) will be at least 66 years old by 2030.

Healthy Living Campus Facts

Beach Cities Health District has been working closely with the community since 2017 to reimagine our medical campus – home to our 63-year-old former hospital building located at 514 North Prospect Avenue in Redondo Beach – into a Healthy Living Campus for all ages. Since May 2017, BCHD has held more than 60 meetings, drawing more than 1,000 comments regarding the modernization of its property.

For accurate information regarding the Healthy Living Campus project, visit https://www.bchdcampus.org/.

acres of active green space in Campus Plan