BCHD Plans Another Useless Survey

BCHD sets up all its surveys to be useless by design. Here are detailed, specific questions that BCHD needs to ask in order have valid metrics regarding public knowledge of the Wealthy Living Campus project.

Questions that BCHD should be REQUIRED to ask on its TAXPAYER-FUNDED SURVEY

Residents/Taxpayers of the District are woefully misinformed about the BCHD project. For example, LA Local Area Formation Commission stated that like West Basin Water District, BCHD can impose a residency/taxpayer requirement to District facilities and programs. Instead, a SUPERMAJORITY of BCHD’s use will be for non-residents/non-taxpayers of the District. As a result, BCHD’s existing and planned surveys are meaningless unless they ask specific questions that assess the level of knowledge. In prior surveys regarding the nearly $500M project, BCHD asked survey respondents how informed they THOUGHT they were, but BCHD deliberately chose not to assess knowledge levels.

The questions below provide an accurate method to assess the public’s knowledge and opinions regarding both Phase 1 (private Developer/Owner/Operator) and Phase 2 (unknown ownership) on the publicly funded and owned property of the former South Bay Hospital.

RESIDENT/TAXPAYER REQUIRED SURVEY QUESTIONS

All following question responses are 1) YES 2) NO

A. BCHD Disposition of Public Resident/Taxpayer Land

Are you aware that:

1. BCHD plans to lease 3 acres of public land to a private developer/owner/operator for 65 to 95 years?

2. BCHD plans to charge the developer $1.5M per year in lease fees for the 3 acres of land?

3. BCHD plans to pay the developer more than $1.5M per year in annual rent for building BCHD’s use of 30,000 sf of space?

B. Service Area and Market of the Proposed Developer/Owner/Operator’s Facility

Are you aware that:

4. South Bay Hospital District (the predecessor of BCHD) was formed by resident/taxpayer/voters for the benefit of “residents who reside ... in the District”

5. The developer/owner/operator’s RCFE will serve 80% non-residents/non-taxpayers of the District per BCHD’s consultant analysis?

6. BCHD’s “allcove” program’s service area is at least 91% non-residents/non-taxpayers of the District and represents Planning Area 8 of LA County Department of Public Health?

7. Based on national averages, only 16 District seniors are likely to use BCHD’s PACE facility out of a capacity of 400?

8. BCHD plans to provide PACE services to 95% non-residents/non-taxpayers?

C. 514 N Prospect (Former Hospital) Required Seismic Upgrades

Are you aware that:

9. BCHD’s consultant stated that no seismic upgrades are required for the hospital building?

10. BCHD’s consultant stated that Redondo Beach has no ordinances requiring seismic upgrades?

11. BCHD’s consultant stated the any seismic work is completely voluntary and not required?

12. BCHD’s consultant stated that “best practice” allows for 25 years continued use of the hospital building?

D. BCHD’s Private Developer/Owner/Operator’s Project Specification

Are you aware that:

13. The proposed Phase 1 development was listed as 107-ft, 6-inches tall in BCHD’s 2022 filing with the City of Redondo Beach Planning Department?

14. The Phase 1 development is about 300,000 square feet and is the same size as all other buildings on the BCHD campus combined (current buildings are 312,000 sf)?

15. Once Phase 2 is developed, BCHD will be nearly 800,000 square feet?

16. Once Phase 2 is developed, BCHD will be larger than every home in Beryl Heights added together (Beryl Heights homes are about 650,000 sf total)?

17. BCHD sits on a hill about 30-feet above adjacent neighborhoods?

18. Of BCHD’s current 312,000 sf, only 968 sf are 76-feet tall?

19. Of BCHD’s current 312,000 sf, over 99.7% of the square feet are 52-feet tall or lower?

20. BCHD and its private Developer/Owner/Operator plan to build mostly on the edge of the campus at heights that exceed 99.7% of the current campus up against residential neighborhoods?

E. BCHD’s Private Developer/Owner/Operator’s Required Compliance with Redondo Beach

Municipal Code

Are you aware that:

21. BCHD and its private Developer/Owner/Operator will be required to comply with Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) on development?

22. RBMC has three specific sections that the development must comply with: Conditional Use Permitting (CUP), Planning Commission Design Review (PCDR), and Residential Design Guidelines (RDG)?

23. A stated Purpose of the RBMC CUP process is to “...insure that the establishment or significant alteration of those uses will not adversely affect surrounding uses and properties...”?

24. BCHD is surrounded by residential zones areas of Torrance and Redondo Beach that have maximum height limits of 30-feet?

25. A stated Purpose of the RBMC PCDR process is to “...ensure compatibility...of developments in the community. “...provisions ...will serve to protect property values.”

26. A stated criteria of the RBMC PCDR is “...project shall be consistent with the intent of residential design guidelines adopted by resolution of the City Council.”

27. A stated Purpose of the RDG process is “...to improve the quality of life in residential

neighborhoods...by ensuring that new homes or additions to existing homes...are compatible in mass, scale, and other design features with surrounding development; and preserve and contribute to the unique character of established neighborhoods.” (in this case Beryl Heights and Torrance Pacific South Bay neighborhoods)

28. Some stated Requirements of the RDG for multifamily units (such at BCHD’s private

Developer/Owner/Operator) are:

(1) “all new multi-family developments should be compatible with the character of the neighborhood.”

(2) “new multi-family residential development should respect the development in the immediate area through the use of...buffer yards and avoidance of overwhelming building scale and visual obstructions.”

(3) “appropriate building siting should be used to reduce the perception of bulk” (i.e., locating tall structures away from the perimeter of a 10 acre lot)

29. Neighborhood character includes architectural style, bulk, form, height, landscape, mass, material,

roofline, scale, setbacks, size, visual obstruction and volume. BCHD and its private

Developer/Owner/Operator are proposing commercial style, 50-200 times more bulk/mass/scale, 3-4 times more height, improper site location, failure to respect the natural terrain, and a massive visual obstruction.

F. BCHD’s Proposed Private Power Plant Facility Against Diamond St. Homes

Are you aware that:

30. BCHD currently has electric generators located in the rear of its parking lot, well away from surrounding neighborhoods and schools/students?

31. BCHD currently has underground fuel storage located in the rear of its parking lot, well away from surrounding neighborhoods and schools/students?

32. BCHD currently has high voltage electrical equipment located in the rear of its parking lot, well away from surrounding neighborhoods and schools/students?

33. BCHD proposes to put 2 diesel locomotive sized generators, up to 70,000 gallons of fuel in above ground tanks, and high voltage transformers and other electric equipment along Diamond St. across from homes and next to the path for school children and the new bike path at the end of Flagler Alley?

34. The generators will emit diesel emissions, particulates, vibration, heat and noise.

35. The prevailing wind will blow diesel emissions into Torrance Pacific South Bay and Torrance Towers school areas, and also down the proposed bike path?