Following City Council’s vote in February denying the relocation of the Volunteers of America (VOA) Sobering Center from downtown to Pacific Beach, search for a suitable location within District 2’s borders continues.
District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer took the lead on the issue, pledging to find a new site for the detox center while keeping the center open at its current location at 1111 Island St. where VOA has operated from for 27 years.
“There was no council representation [during the planning stages], so that site had been moving down the track without adequate community input,” Faulconer said.
VOA was originally scheduled to move out by November 2005, after ownership of the property changed hands. Current landowner Barratt American agreed to let them stay until March 31, 2006, despite plans to build an $8 million condominium project on the site.
The lease extension costs Barratt American approximately $25,000 each month.
Two subsequent extensions, including the most recent one, were brokered by Faulconer. He contacted Barratt President Mick Pattinson, who was sympathetic to VOA’s situation.
“We are subsidizing Volunteers of America whilst they remain here,” Pattinson said. “We didn’t want to turn them out on the street, and we are also using the time to redesign our proposed project.”
According to Faulconer, the extension made sense for Barratt American because their plans for an eight-story building had slowed.
In fact, Pattinson is taking advantage of a recent change to the downtown Community Plan authored by Faulconer in February to increase the size of the Island Street project.
An update to the community plan, which serves as a roadmap for development downtown, was approved by the City Council on Feb. 28. Before the vote, a $90-million shortage for public parks was discovered.
In response, Faulconer and Mayor Jerry Sanders inserted a last-minute amendment that loosened density requirements for developers and allowed them to purchase additional square footage above the normal limit. The resulting profits have been earmarked for park funding.
“[The update] occurred during the time that we were in negotiations with Kevin and the Volunteers of America, whereby we’re now able to increase the size of our building,” Pattinson said. “It’s a case of making lemonade out of lemons.”
There is a shortfall of about $25,000 each month between what Barratt receives in rent from the Volunteers of America and pays out in loans and property tax on the recently purchased land. Nonetheless, Pattinson sees the loss as a win-win situation.
“This is not a total loss,” he said. “We’re taking a slightly difficult situation and we’re turning it into a better situation ” better for the VOA, better for downtown and hopefully better for us as well.”
Volunteers of America President Gerald McFadden is grateful for Barratt’s generosity but is not resting easy just yet.
“This extension, though helpful, is not a solution,” he said.
Faulconer has also protected Volunteers of America’s contract with the county. Without the promise of a secure location, the county could have cancelled the annual contract that runs from July to June. McFadden said he is unsure whether the contract will be renewed for a full year or extended six months to coincide with the lease.
“I must say that the staff with San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and Drug Services have been extremely supportive and responsive,” McFadden added.
Faulconer intends to keep the facility in District 2, but has involved officials from all over the county, including Mayor Jerry Sanders, Police Chief William Lansdowne, County Supervisor Greg Cox, a representative from County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price’s office and the Department of Real Estate Assets. He is also holding bi-weekly meetings with Volunteers of America.
“I’ve probably had as many meetings on this issue as any issue since I’ve been elected,” he said.
Faulconer would not comment on the number of sites being considered, although he did identify them as private, city and county properties, both commercial and industrial. He said the goal is to “cast a very wide net.”
“Within the next 60 days we might have made some headway on an appropriate location,” he said.
VOA has also hired a commercial broker to help identify available and appropriate sites. They were in escrow with two medical buildings on Del Rey Street when the City Council denied their request for three permits. An estimated $500,000 had already been invested in the relocation to Pacific Beach.
Once a new site is located, it will likely return before the City Council for a vote.