The Healthy Living Campus project is located on Beach Cities Health District’s Redondo Beach property located at 514 North Prospect Avenue. Beach Cities Health District unveiled a revised Draft Healthy Living Campus Master plan on Wed., June 17, 2020. The revised plan is pared down from the 2019 plan, including:
- A Community Wellness Pavilion with a public presentation hall, indoor and outdoor public meeting spaces, demonstration kitchen, experiential learning center and more
- Residential Care for the Elderly (RCFE) with approximately 220 units (down from 420)
- Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which provides comprehensive medical and social services to older adults
- 2.45 acres of active green space to replace acres of asphalt
- New Center for Health & Fitness and new aquatics center
- Improved bike and pedestrian path
- Active construction time dipping from nine to five years in two phases (instead of three)
In addition to the proposed Community Wellness Pavilion, providing residential care options for aging residents who want to remain in the Beach Cities and creating a funding source for preventive health programs and services for residents of all ages, the Healthy Living Campus has a host of proposed features designed specifically to benefit the community at large, including:
- Replacing asphalt parking with active green/gathering space for community uses like fitness events, farmer’s markets and community workshops
- Flexible community meeting spaces
- New community exercise center (Center for Health & Fitness) and new aquatics center
- Protected bike lane along Flagler and Diamond streets
- Demonstration kitchen and garden
In Southern California, earthquakes are a fact of life -- we must be prepared. Seismic experts determined the 60-year old hospital building (514 N. Prospect Ave.) on our campus has seismic and structural issues common with buildings built in the 1950s and '60s. While not required by law, the Healthy Living Campus is designed to take a proactive approach to these seismic issues.
The City of Redondo Beach’s current General Plan speaks to this seismic hazard, calling out this specific type of structure (non-ductile concrete frame building) and this type of 'sensitive' use, and requires that it be either 'upgraded, relocated or phased out.' Information about seismic hazards will be included in the Geology and Soils section of the draft EIR for the Healthy Living Campus (currently in progress).
During the January 2018 Community Working Group meeting, Nabih Youssef and Associates presented their seismic findings, building deficiencies and assessment. During that meeting Community Working Group members discussed the 514 building, project status and path forward. Dency Nelson and Bruce Steele stated that the focus should be “Safety First.” Jean Lucio, Mark Nelson and Jan Buike all stated they agreed with Dency and Bruce, according to the Summary Report.
Yes. As outlined in Section 32121(j) of the California Health and Safety Code, healthcare districts are empowered under state law to establish, maintain and operate healthcare facilities, including retirement programs, services and facilities. Additionally, all elements of the Healthy Living Campus will comply with local zoning regulations.
Yes. BCHD has started a public EIR process. All findings and potential impacts will be publicly disclosed and discussed. The Draft Environmental Impact Report was released March 10. A public review and comment period will run from March 10 to June 10, 2021.
The Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the EIR was issued June 27, 2019.
Public Scoping
The EIR process began with five public scoping meetings in July 2019 when responsible agencies and the public commented on the scope and content of the EIR. The EIR preparers will consider this information in developing the public draft EIR.
EIR Preparation
At the June 17, 2020 BCHD Board of Directors meeting, a refined Healthy Living Campus Master Plan was presented, with fewer RCFE units, less square footage and less construction time. The Board voted to continue preparation of the Draft EIR based on the refined Master Plan.
With the EIR process ongoing, no final decisions regarding the proposed campus have been made. The concept phase is complete and we are now conducting the environmental analysis, culminating with the release of the Draft EIR in March 2021.
For more information visit bchdcampus.org/eir.
Release of Draft EIR
The next step for the EIR is the release of the Draft EIR on March 10, 2021.
Public Review of Draft EIR and Comments
Once the Draft EIR is released, the public will have an opportunity to issue formal comments about the Draft EIR. The public review and comment period will run from March 10 until 5 p.m. (Pacific) on June 10, 2021.
General Project Questions/Feedback
Questions and general feedback about the Project can be emailed to HLCinfo@bchd.org or submitted directly to BCHD staff using our online comment card. Community Outreach Contact: Dan Smith, BCHD communications manager, at (310) 374-3426, ext. 156.
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Comments
All official Draft EIR public comments received by the June 10 deadline will be included and responded to in the final Environmental Impact Report. Draft EIR comments address the technical sufficiency of the impact analysis, mitigation measures and alternatives. There are numerous methods to submit comments, including:
- Website: bchdcampus.org/eir
- Email: EIR@bchd.org
- Mail: Nick Meisinger re: Healthy Living Campus
Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc.
9177 Sky Park Ct.
San Diego, CA 92123 - Provide oral comments during one of these public opportunities:
Public comments at the March 24 meeting will begin following the Draft EIR presentation by Wood Environment at the regularly scheduled BCHD Board of Directors meeting. The Draft EIR document will be posted on March 10.
More information and dates for EIR meetings can be found at bchdcampus.org/eir
Yes, and a critical need considering the imminent senior tsunami approaching our country and community. According to the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs, one of the most important public health discoveries in recent years is the degree to which one’s physical environment (home) influences health status and premature mortality. This is especially true for the more vulnerable senior population.
As has been the BCHD model for decades, any potential revenue generated will be reinvested in the Beach Cities through community health programs and services like school gardens, senior care management, health grants, anti-obesity programming and substance-use prevention in schools. Currently, this proven model allows BCHD to provide $3.50 in programs and services for every tax dollar received. In addition to administering more than 40 critical health programs in the Beach Cities, here are a few examples of the outside programs and services that BCHD also helps fund through this financial approach:
- Healthy Schools Service Agreements with HBCSD, MBUSD and RBUSD to fund counseling, nurses/health aides, substance use prevention, physical education and MindUP
- Senior Health Fund
- Manhattan and Redondo Beach Paramedic Services
- Manhattan Beach Community Counseling Center
- St. Paul United Methodist Church
- The Salvation Army Meals on Wheels
- Manhattan Beach CERT
- South Bay Children’s Health Center
- Cancer Support Community
- Redondo Beach Rotary Vision to Learn
- 7 Micro Enrichment Grants
Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, is a Medicare and Medicaid program that helps people meet their health care needs while remaining in their home/community instead of moving into a nursing home or other care facility.
With PACE, a team of health care professionals works with patients and their families to assure properly coordinated care is provided. The healthcare teams typically care for a small number of people, so they really get to know their patients. For more information about PACE visit, https://bchdcampus.org/pace-and-rcfe
For the Healthy Living Campus, RCFE will consist of Memory Care and Assisted Living units.
Memory Care currently exists on the BCHD Campus, with Silverado operating 60 units (120 beds) of specialized care for people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Assisted Living, which is designed to be “home-like,” with private or semi-private apartment-style rooms, provides a continuum of long-term care services including a combination of housing, personal care services and health care specific to individuals who need assistance with normal daily activities (bathing, meals, etc.). Assisted living residents are less likely to require help with activities like bathing and dressing, but often receive assistance with meal preparation, laundry, and medication management. In general, the care provided in assisted living is at a lower acuity and residents have a higher level of independence than the patients in skilled nursing facilities.
The bike path is a separate project from the Healthy Living Campus and has received Measure M funds. The design for the bike path is expected to be complete by early 2021.
The estimated active construction timeline has been reduced from nine years to five years in two phases (instead of three). Phase one active construction time is approximately 29 months, with Phase two expected to take 28 months.
A pricing schedule has not yet been determined, but will ultimately be consistent with prevailing market rates. One plan being considered will offer 10 percent of units at below market rates.
Assisted Living, which is designed to be “home-like,” with private or semi-private apartment-style rooms, provides a continuum of long-term care services, including a combination of housing, personal care services and health care specific to individuals who need assistance with normal daily activities (bathing, meals, dressing etc.). Assisted living residents are less likely than patients at skilled nursing facilities to require help with activities like bathing and dressing, but often receive assistance with meal preparation, laundry, and medication management.
In general, the care provided in assisted living is at a lower acuity and residents have a higher level of independence than the patients in skilled nursing facilities. But that does not make these units “luxury” apartments.
Yes. BCHD retained MDS Market Research to conduct market studies evaluating the feasibility of a proposed assisted living and memory care community in Redondo Beach. Field work and analysis were originally completed in April 2016 and updated in August 2018 and May 2019.
The May 2019 report states: “There is sufficient size and depth of the qualified target market (older adults needing help with Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs) to prudently introduce the proposed new assisted living units and memory care beds into the Redondo Beach area - from a quantitative perspective.”
The MDS Report projects the number of Beach Cities residents age 75 and older requiring assistance with ADLs (e.g., bathing, dressing, toileting, etc.) to be:
2019: 9,547 (32.5% of the 75+ population)
2021: 9,911 (32.1%)
2024: 10,458 (31.7%)
The MDS market studies are available at www.bchdcampus.org/campus, listed under “Project Materials.”
Additionally, a Public Policy Institute of California report found that more than one million seniors statewide will require some assistance with self care.
A Bureau of Labor Statistics report states the need for long-term support and services will increase 41% over the next decade.
No. We are continuing our decades-long BCHD model to provide free programs and services to Beach Cities residents. Therefore, any potential revenue generated will be reinvested in the community through services like school health programs, senior care, health grants and more.
Using this model, in 2019 Beach Cities residents received a $3.73-to-$1 return on their property tax investment in BCHD.
BCHD has a history of partnering or facilitating leases for health services, like Sunrise Assisted Living, Silverado Memory Care, Beach Cities Surgery Center, UCLA Health and South Bay Family Health Care -- a federally qualified health center.
For example, BCHD recently facilitated a loan of up to $600,000 to upgrade South Bay Family Health Care on Artesia Blvd., which improved the quality of health care for lower income adults in the Beach Cities.
No. The total new developed building area (square footage) is 18% less in the 2020 plan than the 2019 version. (Claims that the 2020 draft master plan is larger omit 160,000 square feet of subterranean parking.) The chart below provides the square footage numbers for the 2019 and 2020 draft master plans provided by Paul Murdoch Architects:
This claim, made on social media, manipulates BCHD’s budget numbers, omitting 75% of the District’s revenue – more than $10 million – to misrepresent employee salaries.
Property taxes comprised 25% of BCHD’s annual revenue for FY 2018-19, according to the District’s audited financial report. This claim does not include BCHD revenues from leases (32%), Health & Fitness operations (18%), limited partnerships (13%), interest and other revenue (12%).
(Note: BCHD's 2018-19 audited financial report received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. & Canada and an Operating Budget Award for Excellence from the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers.)
As part of District policy, BCHD provides a compensation program that is competitive, legally compliant, and equitable. The pay structures conform with California minimum wage standards and the pay grade assignments maintain internal equity for hourly, non-exempt, exempt, and management jobs.
A compensation consultant reviews the compensation structure and ensures alignment with the organization structure, job content, market trends, and other developments.
For instance, the CEO salary range was established by considering similar job classifications and qualifications standards to assure that the job would be assigned to a pay grade that was competitive and aligned appropriately using the District's major internal job evaluation factors.
The labor market definition was established by using commonly accepted selection criteria pertaining to similar geography (Southern California and Redondo Beach), industry (health, educational, and recreational services for private and not-for-profit organizations), organizational size (accounting for budget and number of employees) and benchmark classifications and qualifications requirements.
Regarding the “propaganda machine,” BCHD's communications budget, which includes salaries, print publications, mailers to residents, flyers for programs and services, advertising, health promotion, website and more, made up five percent of BCHD’s overall budget.
As happens with any public project, some facts about the Draft Master Plan and BCHD, in general, have been misunderstood, and in some cases, misrepresented. We have addressed some of the most misleading statements below.
False Claim: BCHD Board Members have approved the project.
Truth: The project has not been approved, and a vote to consider the project won’t be conducted until the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is complete. The BCHD Board has only endorsed a project description to move forward with the EIR.
False Claim: The project description provided in the Notice of Preparation (NOP) cannot be adjusted at the beginning of the EIR process.
Truth: The NOP provides a very broad project description for purposes of determining which types of environmental analysis must be conducted as part of the EIR. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process anticipates that the project description might change in response to scoping comments. When the final EIR is released to the public – and prior to BCHD Board review of the project – is when the project description will be finalized.
False Claim: The new plans feature more square footage.
Truth: The overall square footage of the proposed buildings decreased 18% from the 2019 Draft Master Plan to the 2020 Draft Master Plan. The footprint of the project has also decreased and has shifted closer to the Vons shopping center, to address concerns expressed by nearby residents. https://www.bchdcampus.org/campus
False Claim: The 2020 Draft Master Plan does not include the Center for Health and Fitness.
Truth: The Center for Health & Fitness is included in Phase 2 of the project.
False Claim: BCHD has harmed the surrounding community for 60 years.
Truth: BCHD has served the health of our community for more than 60 years, our preventive health programs and services earned visits from the U.S. Surgeon General and L.A. County Department of Public Health and garnered universal acclaim. A report by the Little Hoover Commission, California’s Independent State Oversight Agency, cited Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) as a “model for transitioning California healthcare districts to preventive care.” Visit our Community Impact page and our recent LiveWell Kids childhood obesity Community Health Report and Release for more information.
False Claim: BCHD doesn’t answer Public Records Acts requests
Truth: Of course, BCHD answers Public Records Acts requests, but it can be quite time-consuming. We received nearly 250 Public Records Act requests in 2020, including 195 solely from one Community Working Group member. Since 2017, 319 requests have been received and 256 have been closed.
False Claim: BCHD has mismanaged funds and the budget is murky.
Truth: BCHD’s budgetary practices are available to the public online and the budget is reviewed by its resident advisory Finance Committee and discussed at public Board meetings. An annual report with an overview is also mailed to Beach Cities households each year. Budgets are submitted annually to the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers for review. BCHD continues to be the only California health district to meet these standards of excellence and has received 17 CSMFO Excellence or Meritorious Awards since the 2007-2008 fiscal year. BCHD is also the recipient of a Transparency Certificate of Excellence from the Special District Leadership Foundation.
BCHD has not denied there are effects on neighbors from our operations, similar to other organizations, schools or businesses located near residences.
Further, the draft Environmental Impact Report currently being prepared will assess and analyze any impacts associated with the proposed Healthy Living Campus upgrade.
Since BCHD's Campus opened in 1960, neighbors were certainly aware the campus was nearby before they moved in, especially if they lived adjacent or across the street and could see campus activity. The South Bay Hospital was operating through 1998 in addition to medical office space on the campus at 510 and 520 buildings -- yet neighbors still made the decision to accept the normal activities of a functioning hospital across the street from or near their property. Only now has this become an issue.
The following information is from BCHD's CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) attorney:
"In the course of planning a redevelopment project, it is natural and beneficial to all parties for the project proponent to confer with the local agencies that will be asked to review and approve the project. It is also natural and beneficial to both parties for a Lead Agency under CEQA to confer with a Responsible Agency about the respective roles of the two agencies. CEQA anticipates, encourages, and requires early consultation among agencies – lead agencies (like BCHD), responsible agencies, trustee agencies, Native American tribes – both formal and informal consultation. These provisions are found in Public Resources Code sections 21080.3, 21080.3.1, 21080.3.2, and 21080.4, and in CEQA Guidelines sections 15060.5, 15082, 15083, and 15086.
See PRC 21080.3(a), (“Prior to determining whether a negative declaration or environmental impact report is required for a project, the lead agency shall consult with all responsible and trustee agencies. Prior to that required consultation, the lead agency may informally contact any of those agencies.”)
Consultation with the City of Redondo Beach at the initial stages of the planning process for the Healthy Living Campus Redevelopment Project is prudent and essential to ensure that the CEQA process, the resulting EIR, and the application materials prepared for City review, all meet the City’s needs as Responsible Agency and reviewing body."
No. Wood PLC is an experienced, global leader in the delivery of project management, engineering, consulting and technical services to energy and built environment customers. Wood operates in more than 60 countries, employing around 55,000 people and was selected by a committee of BCHD staff and CWG members.
Samantha Perry, the lead for the Operations Readiness Sector for Wood PLC in Aberdeen, Scotland, reports that Wood is not an “investor” or an “equity partner” in the Greenfield Davis Oil Refinery. Wood PLC is simply providing Operations Readiness and Assurance (ORA) services. A summary of Wood’s ORA services is available at: https://www.woodplc.com/capabilities/consulting/asset-integrity/operational-readiness-and-assurance.
