Council Gives Residents Little Hope Halfway House Will be Moved

By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

October 3 -- A controversial halfway house for the mentally ill planned for Sunset Park will likely move forward, after the City Council last week told neighbors there was little it could do to intervene.

The news was delivered last Tuesday night to residents who are still hoping City officials will take a closer look at the definition of the facility and if it is allowed in their neighborhood.

“Your request asked us to locate the project to a different site. That’s not within our power,” Mayor Bob Holbrook told a handful of residents who came to speak on the issue. “This is not a City project.”

Whether such a project -- deemed “congregate housing -- can, or should, be built in the neighborhood without more extensive permitting is something council members said they might look at, although they stopped short of promising to do so.

“That’s within our power to do,” Holbrook said. “We certainly won’t be doing that tonight, but we’ve heard you on that matter.”

Step-up-on-Second -- a local non-profit that assists the mentally ill -- is already in escrow on the property at 1826-1828 Pearl Street and is currently requesting between $400,000 and $500,000 in funding from the City to help build the facility.

But some Sunset Park residents argue that the house is too close to several local schools, including John Adams Middle School and Will Rogers Elementary.

“The proposed project, essentially a business which serves an at-risk population, imposes a threat upon the safety of a stable, child-centered family neighborhood,” said resident Say Chin So, who waited until close to midnight with her family to address the issue.

A handful of speakers demanded that the council address the proposed project, which would serve mentally ill men and women aged 18 to 28 – saying the decision to put yet another service center in their neighborhood was done with little outreach to the surrounding community.

“Our neighborhood already supports several services,” said Christopher Fixten, a neighboring resident who opposes the project. “These services surround our neighbors and are supported by our neighborhood.”

Zina Josephs, a board member of Friends of Sunset Park (FOSP) who said she was speaking for herself, told the council that the current laws allow such projects to be pushed through in the area without much community feedback.

“It seems that in (these) zones various types of congregate housing can be installed without requesting a variance, without a public hearing, and without notifying nearby residents,” Josephs said.

“You can see a bed and breakfast requires a (permit), but congregate housing does not,” Josephs said, referring to the current zoning laws.

But Council member Ken Genser said only staff could determine whether the council can reconsider if the project fits the definition of “congregate housing.”

“I don’t mean to be technical here, because I know there is a lot of concern on the part of the community… but deciding what definition it is and where it fits in the zoning code is not our job,” Genser said.

“It can ultimately be our job, but staff will make that determination based on their review of the facts, and the applicability of the zoning code,” he said.

City staff’s decision can then be appealed to the Planning Commission and, subsequently, the City Council, but only if staff makes “an interpretation” of what the zoning laws say is “congregate housing,” Genser said.

Staff, however, could stand by its administrative ruling and “might not make an interpretation,” casting doubt that the decision would be taken up at all by the council before escrow closes on the site, Genser said.

“But that’s not our job here tonight,” he said. “We don’t have the facts to make that decision,
and it’s not something we have the authority to do tonight.”

Genser further argued that many service centers have received shaky welcomes from the community, but proved to be safe and discreet neighbors.

“When the original Step-Up wanted to open up on Second Street, there was tremendous concern on the part of the community,” he said. “It got approved and over time it was found that it was a good neighbor.”

But several Sunset Park residents said they were still concerned.

“Was the intent (of zoning laws) to allow organizations serving mentally ill populations to be placed in high concentration in the Sunset Park residential neighborhood, next to families and schools?” So asked.

Residents in the area said they plan to attend a community meeting October 12 sponsored by Friends of Sunset Park at Grant Elementary School Auditorium, 2368 Pearl Street, at 7 p.m. for a question and answer session with Step-Up-On-Second officials and, possibly, City staff.

The meeting comes one month after residents met with the non-profits’ executive director, Tod Lipka, in a public session many said did little to allay public concerns

“Our concerns were arrogantly brushed off by…Lipka as being ignorant fears, unfounded concerns, and nitty-gritties of the neighborhood,” So told the council Tuesday. “Mr. Lipka displayed an attitude of disregard and contempt for our valid concerns.”

Lipka has said he sympathizes with neighbors and their fears, but feels the site is appropriate for such housing. (see story)

For any questions about the upcoming forum, please contact Tod Lipka, CEO of Step Up on Second, at 310-394-6889, or at Tod@StepUpOnSecond.org