To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: Michael W. Webb, City Attorney
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ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE FURTHER DIRECTION TO STAFF REGARDING PALLET SHELTER TEMPORARY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the September 15, 2020 meeting, the City Council gave direction to 1) pursue grant funding to pay for the purchase of Pallet temporary emergency transitional housing shelters, 2) investigate additional potential locations to place them, and 3) return to the City Council with the final documents to approve them. This interim report will address the first two items - grant funding and what has been learned thus far about the other potential locations. Staff will need further direction from the Mayor and Council to prepare the necessary documents, and before a final decision is made, on whether or not to purchase the Pallet Shelters for use as temporary emergency transitional housing units.
This is entirely a policy decision for the Mayor and City Council, but in my opinion this temporary emergency transitional housing would be an invaluable addition to our Homelessness Pilot Program in helping people experiencing homelessness prepare for and become eligible for permanent housing. In order to be able to meet the deadlines for use of the CARES Act funding, if the Council desires to move forward with this project it is recommended that the City Council select one or two sites this evening to enable staff to prepare the necessary documents for final Council consideration at a future meeting.
BACKGROUND
As we have previously discussed, there is insufficient transitional housing available to people experiencing homelessness throughout California and particularly to the individuals in the South Bay. Furthermore, there are no homeless shelters in Redondo Beach. As there currently are no such alternatives, the Police in Redondo are unable to enforce ordinances prohibiting sleeping outdoors on public property because Federal Courts have ruled that in such situations the homeless defendants have no choice in the matter. Our efforts to rent beds for individuals experiencing homelessness in Redondo Beach within a collaborative housing program in a nearby city within Spa 8 have not proved fruitful.The potential alternative currently before you to consider are temporary emergency transitional housing units made by Pallet that can be moved or removed as the City Council directs.
1. FUNDING:
Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the City’s Budget, the Council’s direction was to pursue grant funding for the entire cost of the project.
Since the September 15th meeting, staff considered multiple funding sources and had several conversations regarding budgets for other transitional housing projects. Mayor Brand then set up a call with Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office. In addition to Mayor Brand, Councilman Horvath, City Manager Hoefgen, and I participated in the September 28th call. Supervisor Hahn’s staff expressed genuine interest in helping with the funding, but indicated that there was a very tight timetable. They stated that they would need a project budget by that Friday, October 2nd. City Staff worked diligently to develop the budget and did in fact send it to county staff by the Friday deadline (see Attachment).
Upon receiving the proposed budget, Supervisor Hahn’s office then requested another meeting be held the next business day, on Monday, October 8th, to discuss the budget. At this meeting, County staff expressed some concern over the amounts budgeted for security and as a contingency. City staff explained that the only way this project could go forward was with 24/7 on-site security and an adequate contingency buffer. The meeting concluded with the County staff indicating that if the City could find other grant funds in the amount of approximately $300,000 then the County might possibly be able to fund the rest.
At its meeting on October 6th, the City Council set aside $300,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the operating costs of the shelter program IF it is finally approved by the City Council. Thereafter, at its October 13th meeting, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion by Supervisor Hahn to 1) authorize utilization of one-time Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act Coronavirus Relief Funds (CARES Act) for an amount up to $420,000 to fund the Emergency Housing Pallet Project capital costs, 2) transfer $409,000 of the Fourth Supervisorial District’s funding in the Homeless and Housing Program budget to cover operational costs and 3) to authorize the Director of Health Services to enter into any, and all agreements and take any other actions consistent with, and/or necessary for, the support of the Project operation for the duration of the pilot program. (See LA County Board of Supervisors’ Agenda item attached)
Since the projected Operating Budget (not including in-kind services) is just over $708,000, Supervisor Hahn’s District funding grant of $409,000 combined with the $300,000 of CDBG funds will cover all of the operating costs. The County CARES Act Funds ($420,000) will cover all of the projected capital costs other than the approximately $74,000 budgeted for site relocation costs should the City Council decide that locating in a second site for the last six months of the pilot program is preferred. Thus, the program can be completely covered by grant funding without impacting the City’s General Fund budget. However, the program will require a significant allocation of staff time from the Public Works and Community Services Departments for set up and logistics (although it could lead to a reduced number of calls to the Police Department regarding transients).
As previously indicated, the CARES Act eligibility guidelines allow for expenses associated with “caring for homeless” during the pandemic period as defined as March 1, 2020 through December 30, 2020. It is uncertain if that period of time will be extended by future legislation, so it is imperative that the capital costs be incurred no later than December 30th.
Additionally, Housing Navigator Lila Omura’s concern that, due to some of the nearby locations of Project Room Key (PRK) ending, some of individuals in PRK would return to living on the streets of Redondo Beach has proved to be valid. Some individuals have in fact done so. It will be a significant setback if more individuals currently making progress towards becoming “housing ready” for permanent housing end up back living on the streets of Redondo Beach and this adds to the urgency.
2. LOCATION:
The first site that was presented to the Council for consideration as a possibility was the City controlled parking lot behind the Aviation Gym (1935 Manhattan Beach Boulevard). The Council then directed City staff to consider other locations below.
• Kingsdale Site (1521 Kingsdale Avenue) - Area Approximately 10,000 SF (square feet) (If approved, Pallet area will have new address - 1521 is Transit Maintenance facility address)
• Moonstone Park (280 Marina Way) - Area approximately 15,000 SF
• Francisca/Gertruda Site (No Address - Assumed 691 Francisca as address between other sites) - Area approximately 3,750. Did not prove viable to house 15 Pallet housing units nor supporting units.
• Seaside Lagoon (200 Portofino Way)
Aviation Gym Back Parking Lot
As previously discussed, this site is approximately 30,000 square feet and is located behind Aviation Park Gymnasium and adjacent to Northrop Grumman and a preschool/daycare. The site is utilized for staging equipment from contractors. The lot is located adjacent to a Northrop Grumman parking lot and access is only available through Northrop Grumman’s parking lot. This would require collaboration with Northrop Grumman in order to access the site.
Site prep would be significant and require grading and paving the lot with asphalt or concrete. A driveway would also need to be constructed resulting in lost parking spaces for Northrop Grumman. Temporary lighting and fencing are necessary for the site. The site also requires temporary portable toilets and service for solid waste collection.
A significant recent development is that the track, field, and playground are all open as of October 16th.
Kingsdale Lot
The site is approximately 20,000 square feet and is located adjacent to the transit center on Kingsdale Ave. The site is currently utilized by the Public Works Department to stage equipment along with City contractors to stage equipment for work in the City. It is located in an industrial corridor. It’s important to note that construction for the new transit center is set to commence shortly and it is unknown how that would impact living conditions, if at all.
Site prep for this location is significant and requires grading and paving the lot with asphalt or concrete. The proposed site prep would only include half the lot, while the other half would remain for use by the Public Works Department and City contractors. Temporary lighting and fencing are necessary for the site. The site also requires temporary portable toilets and service for solid waste collection. There is sufficient power nearby to provide the required power.
Moonstone Park
The site is approximately 18,000 square feet and is located in King Harbor Marina adjacent to Fire Station 3. There is adjacent parking in the King Harbor Marina Parking Lot. The site is partially utilized by two paddle boarder clubs to stage their equipment. The site also serves as an emergency landing location for the Coast Guard and Sheriff’s helicopters. The only entrance to the area is through the Marina parking lot.
The site does not require much site prep since it is a mostly flat grass area. Temporary lighting and fencing are necessary for the site. The site also requires temporary portable toilets and service for solid waste collection. There is sufficient power nearby to provide the required power.
Francisca/Gertruda Lot
The site is approximately 3,750 square feet and is located in a narrow parcel adjacent to the Mini Storage on Francisca Ave/Gertruda Ave. The site is currently vacant and is not utilized. There is no parking on site and only street parking is available.
Site prep for this site would be significant due to having to clear the area of brush, significant grading of the area, and paving the area with asphalt of concrete. Temporary lighting and fencing are necessary for the site as well as the addition of a retaining wall. The site also requires temporary portable toilets and service for solid waste collection. There is sufficient power nearby to provide the required power. The area is extremely narrow and not all of the proposed pallets would fit within the site. Access for solid waste collection is also potentially an issue given the space constraints.
Seaside Lagoon
The site is located in prime waterfront property located in Mole C and is approximately 80,000 square feet. It has adjacent parking. The site is utilized by swimmers during the summer months and is an event venue during remaining months. The site is surrounded by restaurants, the harbor and hotels.
The site amenities include restrooms, rinse stations and shade structures.
Site prep would be significant in that the site is predominantly sand, which would require replacement with sturdier base for the pallet shelters such as concrete and/or asphalt. The site would also require ADA path of travel upgrades to the pallet shelters and other site amenities such as the restrooms. Additionally, we would have to look at a potential conflict with Beachlife Festival if they are able to resume their planned events in 2021.
All the locations are potentially viable except for the Francisca/Gertruda City owned lot. That lot simply is not big enough for 15 units and the fixed operating costs would not make a seven or eight shelter (or smaller) cost effective. Attached are site specific cost estimates for all five of the sites and diagrams for how the temporary shelters could be set up at Kingsdale, Moonstone, and up to eight shelters at the Francisca/Gertruda site. (Seaside Lagoon has not been diagramed but due to its size and existing infrastructure it is certainly possible to put 15 shelters there.) The overall proposed budget sent to the County was largely based upon the Kingsdale budget. This was because it is a very viable site but is the most expensive one to set up and we wanted to ensure that we received enough funding for whatever location the City Council eventually chooses.
In order to be able to meet the deadlines for use of the CARES Act funding, if the Council desires to move forward with this project it is strongly recommended that the City Council select one or two sites to enable staff to prepare the necessary documents for final approval.
3. OTHER CITIES’ INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES - BELLFLOWER:
We are continuing to look at innovative strategies that a number of other cities have used with an eye towards evaluating whether they can be incorporated into our approach. One City we have examined is Bellflower (see Attachment). There are some elements of their approach we are currently doing and some we will incorporate into our Pilot Program in the future. However, due to differences in our situations some elements of their approach would not fit well into our program as we can discuss on Tuesday if the Mayor or City Council so desires.
COORDINATION
The City Attorney's Office coordinated with the City Manager’s Office, the Public Works Department, the Community Services Department, and the Police Department in connection with the preparation of this report.
FISCAL IMPACT
Although it looks very likely that there will be no impact to the City’s General Fund, the final Fiscal Impact of each of the components of this program will be known at the time the various contracts are each brought back for final City Council approval. And as previously mentioned, the program will require a significant allocation of staff time from the Public Works and Community Services for set up and logistics.
ATTACHMENTS
• Pallet Shelter Budget Redondo Beach
• Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ Agenda Item
• Site Specific Cost Estimate and Diagram - 1521 Kingsdale Avenue
• Site Specific Cost Estimate and Diagram - Moonstone Park
• Site Specific Cost Estimate and Diagram - 691 Francisca
• Site Specific Cost Estimate and Overhead Photo - Seaside Lagoon
• Site Specific Cost Estimate - Aviation Gym Parking Lot
• Presentation by Hon. Juan Garza, Mayor of the City of Bellflower
• “Councilmember Aims to House Homeless Under 101 Freeway by Thanksgiving”, Spectrum News, September 24, 2020
• “Redondo Beach’s Outdoor Homeless Court Gives Unhoused a Path Home”, Spectrum News, October 13, 2020