The Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) board voted unanimously to approve funding and assistance to the Volunteers of America (VOA) in finding a temporary detox center downtown at its Sept. 27 board meeting.
After weeks of recommendations, the board solidified the CCDC assistance of $1.3 million that would go toward the purchasing and improvements of two or more modular buildings that would be installed on a level-graded, 7,500-square-foot site, said CCDC senior project manager John Collum, despite the advisory committee’s suggestion of spending the money on a permanent location instead.
VOA, a nonprofit organization that runs the detox center, is scheduled to lose its lease at 1111 Island Ave. in the East Village on Dec. 31. However, according to Steve McNally, District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer’s chief of staff, VOA may be able to continue their detox program and Inebriate Reception Center (IRC) services past Dec. 31 at this location.
Earlier this year, City Council denied a VOA request for a conditional use permit (CUP), which would have allowed all of its services to be moved to a Pacific Beach location. VOA entered into an agreement with the San Diego Rescue Mission to lease space within its building at 120 Elm St. to accommodate their pre-treatment education and sobriety house programs temporarily through 2007.
According to staff reports, there are two CCDC-controlled sites available to locate modular buildings. CCDC is in the process of purchasing the first, located on Broadway between 13th and 14th streets, for the planned East Village fire station. The station construction timeframe is to be determined. The second, located between Park Boulevard and 11th Avenue, between G and Market streets, was purchased several years ago with the intention of constructing an affordable housing project.
CCDC would then lease the building and site to the VOA, on a short-term basis “” 18 months with an optional 18-month extension “” until they can find a permanent home. According to Collum, no site has been selected at this time. He added that Faulconer’s office is in control of deciding which site to promote for the location of the modular buildings.
“There are a lot of other variables in this. We’re still tracking down some other possibilities of existing structures,” McNally said.
According to staff reports, funds of $1.3 million are available in the fiscal year 2007 Centre City Redevelopment Project Budget under East Village Public Improvements.
CCDC staff is currently in the process of determining all of the necessary steps for the modular purchase process and other California redevelopment law, agency, city and corporation requirements in order to implement this project. A project implementation timeframe is also being developed.
According to Collum, once a site is selected, the City Council will ultimately have to approve the selected site.
McNally said a decision on which location to promote would probably have to be determined before the end of the month.