Healthy Living Campus
Our community has the rare and exciting opportunity to reimagine our 11-acre campus to chart the future of preventive health in the Beach Cities. We are building an intergenerational, vibrant modern campus where residents can engage in healthy behaviors, form meaningful connections and be well…for generations to come.
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60-year old building
60-year old building and former hospital site in the center of the campus does not currently meet tenant needs and needs seismic upgrade
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1-5 Years
Due to escalating building costs, the next five years is our financial "Window of Opportunity" to address campus challenges and necessities
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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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. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Healthy Living Campus: |
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Why do the Beach Cities need a Healthy Living Campus? |
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How has BCHD engaged the community around the Healthy Living Campus? |
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What is PACE and what are the benefits? |
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Is there a need for seismic upgrades? |
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FAQ: Is the 514 Prospect building seismically sound? |
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Answer: In Southern California, earthquakes are a natural occurrence. Seismic experts determined the 60-year old hospital building on our campus has seismic and structural issues common with buildings built in the 1950s and '60s. The Healthy Living Campus is designed to take a proactive approach to those issues. The seismic evaluation, is available at www.bchdcampus.org/campus, listed under "Project Materials."
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).
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FAQ: How does Beach Cities Health District currently support older adults in the community? |
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Answer: BCHD has a variety of programs and services that serve our older adult population, providing a continuum of care to help residents lead healthier lives, including:
- Seven social workers who serve as care managers to more than 400 Beach Cities older adults;
- Health referrals for individuals and families, and insurance enrollment support with Covered California and Medicare;
- Volunteer-based programs provide errand assistance, Conversation Companions, support for individuals with dementia, delivery of meals and basic household items;
- A successful partnership with Sunrise of Hermosa Beach, supporting assisted living and memory care;
- And much more.
The current BCHD campus is home to Silverado, which is memory care assisted living for older adults with dementia. BCHD is also a majority partner of Sunrise Assisted Living in Hermosa Beach, a 96-bed facility for older adults who need assistance with one or more daily living tasks.
BCHD also provides classes, workshops and virtual programming for independent older adults living in the community. This includes the Center for Health & Fitness -- the only Medical Fitness Association-certified facility in California -- with nearly 2,000 members.
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FAQ: There has been a lot in the news about COVID-19 outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities and resident deaths. Is the proposed Residential Care For the Elderly (RCFE) really something we should be considering now that we know about COVID-19? |
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Answer: COVID-19 has disproportionately affected frail older adults in skilled nursing facilities, particularly in the early days of the pandemic when we understood little about how it was transmitted and what was effective to prevent transmission. Skilled nursing facilities are particularly at risk because they provide care to the most frail older adults in a hospital-like setting that includes shared rooms, bathroom facilities and meal facilities. Skilled nursing residents are also more likely to require intimate care from nursing assistants for activities like bathing, toileting, dressing and eating, resulting in a high level of contact between staff and residents. Skilled nursing is not proposed as part of the Healthy Living Campus.
Assisted living, the type of RCFE proposed for the Healthy Living Campus, provides care in a more home-like environment. Typically these rooms are apartment-like suites providing for a greater level of privacy and, in the case of COVID-19 protocols, more comfortable and effective physical distancing than the shared hospital room design of skilled nursing. Assisted living residents are also more likely to have more independence and require less of the very intimate care needed by skilled nursing residents. This allows for less close contact between staff and residents.
Through the Center for Medicaid and Medicare services, the State of California participates in an Assisted Living Waiver program. The 1915c waiver for assisted living services is designed to assist low-income nursing home residents with transitioning to the more home-like environment of assisted living. During the COVID-19 emergency, waivers have been prioritized in hotspots like Los Angeles County to assist individuals being discharged from skilled nursing or the hospital with accessing assisted living to help decompress the impact of the pandemic on the health care infrastructure.
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FAQ: When will the Draft Environmental Impact Report be released? |
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Answer: The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Healthy Living Campus will be released in early 2021. It will be followed by a 90-day public comment period, twice as long as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The state-mandated EIR will inform the public and project decision-makers about significant environmental effects at the Redondo Beach site and identify possible ways to minimize or avoid those effects.
The next step would be the certification of the Final EIR by the BCHD Board of Directors, expected to occur this summer. It is important to note that certification of the EIR does not mean the project is approved. After certification of the Final EIR, the Board decides on whether or not to adopt the Master Plan. Following that action, BCHD would then prepare a package for submittal to the City of Redondo Beach for a Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan Review by their Planning Commission. There may also be discretionary review by the City of Torrance.
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FAQ: What is the status of the project description as it relates to the EIR? |
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Answer: The BCHD Board of Directors concurred with a staff recommendation to refine the project description at its June 2020 board meeting. The description will be included in the Draft EIR and forms the basis for the analyses conducted as part of the EIR process.
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FAQ: How does the 2020 HLC draft master plan compare to the 2019 version? |
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Answer: In June 2020, we presented a refined Draft Master Plan, attempting to address ongoing input from the community regarding possible impacts. The adjustments introduced trade-offs, including expanding green space to 2.5 acres by creating a more compact building area, which is expected to increase building heights from four stories to six. The new plan reduced assisted living units from 420 to 220 and repositions buildings away from neighbors living near the eastern border of the Campus. The overall project construction time was reduced from three phases over nine years of construction to two phases in five years of construction.
The total new developed building area (square footage) is 18% less in the 2020 plan (665,820 sq. ft.) than the 2019 version (815,000 sq. ft.). The chart below lists the square footage numbers for the 2019 and 2020 draft master plans provided by Paul Murdoch Architects:
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FAQ: What will be done with any revenues generated by the Healthy Living Campus and Residential Care for the Elderly? |
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Answer: 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, care management for older adults and adults with disabilities, health grants, anti-obesity programming and substance-use prevention in schools.
Currently, this proven model allows BCHD to provide approximately $3.50 in programs and services for every tax dollar received. In addition to administering more than 40 critical health programs and services 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
BCHD has a history of successful partnerships that generate revenue, such as our stake in Sunrise Hermosa Beach, supporting assisted living and memory care. This partnership provides roughly $1 million annually for free services and programs like home health services for Beach Cities residents.
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FAQ: Where can I find information about the Healthy Living Campus or BCHD public meetings? |
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FAQ: How can I participate in the public process? |
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Answer: Members of the public can participate by attending public meetings. The BCHD Board of Directors meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month (except August and December). During COVID-19 these meetings are livestreamed. Board Meeting agendas and videos are posted to our website at https://www.bchd.org/board-directors-meetings. There will be a Board meeting on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 6:30 pm to make up for a meeting cancelled earlier in the year due to COVID-19.
After the Draft EIR is released, members of the public will be encouraged to read the document and submit any comments about the EIR during the 90-day public comment period.
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About the Healthy Living Campus |
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The refined draft Healthy Living Campus master plan, presented at the June 17, 2020 BCHD Board of Directors meeting, was developed from more than 60 meetings attended by more than 550 residents and drawing more than 1,000 comments during the last three years regarding elements of the campus.
The Board endorsed a project description to continue the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process — originally started in June 2019 — with the more compact Healthy Living Campus master plan as the basis of the project description. This blueprint will inform the public and project decision-makers about significant environmental effects and identify possible ways to minimize or avoid those effects.
The updated, more compact draft master plan includes:
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A Community Wellness Pavilion with public meeting spaces, demonstration kitchen, modernized Center for Health & Fitness, aquatics and more.
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Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a Medicare/Medicaid program that provides comprehensive medical and social services to older adults.
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Fewer Units: Residential Care for the Elderly (RCFE) units drop from 420 to 220. Pricing has yet to be determined. One plan being considered will offer 10 percent of units at below market rates.
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Smaller New Building Area: New on-campus building area drops 18%.
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Less Construction Time: Active construction time is shortened from nine to five years in two phases (instead of three).
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2.5 acres of open space for programming to replace acres of asphalt.
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