BCHD Unveils Environmental Impact Report On Healthy Living Campus

REDONDO BEACH, CA — A Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Healthy Living Campus will be released on Wednesday and the community is encouraged to review and comment.

The project, located on the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) property at 514 N. Prospect Ave., reimagines the former hospital site to better serve and meet the current and future community needs of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach residents.

“The Draft EIR is lengthy, so to be as transparent as possible and to continue our policy of encouraging community input, BCHD has doubled the time for public review and comment on the Healthy Living Campus project,” BCHD CEO Tom Bakaly said in a press release. “We encourage the community to be part of the process by submitting comments on the Draft EIR during the review period. The Healthy Living Campus is an opportunity to create a modern, vibrant, intergenerational campus focused on wellness and prevention for today and decades to come.”

The 90-day public review and comment period regarding the 11-acre campus, bordered by Prospect, Beryl Street, Flagler Lane and Diamond Street in Redondo Beach, will extend through June 10, even though only a 45-day review is mandated.

The first phase of the proposed campus Master Plan includes 220 residential care for the elderly (assisted living and memory care) units, programs for all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE), a youth wellness center, BCHD's care management, information and referral programs, and approximately 2.5 acres of active green/open space for outdoor meetings and programs. A second phase calls for a Community Wellness Pavilion with community meeting and research spaces, a demonstration kitchen, and an updated Center for Health & Fitness with an aquatics center.

"BCHD began reimagining a modernized Healthy Living Campus in 2017 as an intergenerational space for all Beach Cities residents," Bakaly said.

The Draft EIR addresses the potential environmental effects of modernizing the Redondo Beach property. BCHD began preparing an Environmental Impact Report for the campus as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in 2017. This process included five public scoping meetings and environmental analyses of a broad range of environmental topics as required by CEQA or requested by the community during scoping.

Now comes the 90-day Draft EIR review and comment period, followed by the EIR team preparing a formal Response to Comments later this summer. The expected timeline for the additional steps that will follow includes:

• Response to comments & final EIR – Late Summer 2021
• The EIR team will prepare a formal Response to Comments on the public Draft EIR, revise the Draft EIR as necessary and prepare the Final EIR
• Release response to comments to the public – Summer 2021
• Board consideration to certify EIR – Summer 2021
• Board consideration of possible certification of Final EIR
• Board decision on project – Summer/Fall 2021
• Board considers proposed project and direction for next steps
• Submit Project to City of Redondo Beach for design review, conditional use permit review and approvals – Fall 2021/Winter 2022
• Submit project to City of Torrance for necessary permits (pending approval of Final EIR and Board decision on project) – Fall 2021/Winter 2022

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 several ways to submit your comments:

• 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:
  • Wed., March 24, 6:30 p.m.
  • Tues., April 13, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
  • Sat., April 17, Noon – 1:30 p.m.

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. For more information on how to submit a comment or join a meeting, visit bchdcampus.org./eir.