New apartments planned for Rose Avenue would be the first in Venice to serve young people leaving the foster care system
By Gary Walker
An architectural rendering depicts the 35-unit complex planned for 720 Rose Ave.
Maybe it was something to do with the Thanksgiving spirit. Bucking a trend of intense verbal clashes over plans for housing the homeless in Venice, plans to build a 35-unit apartment complex on Rose Avenue for transition-age foster youth and the chronically homeless received very little pushback during a Nov. 20 neighborhood council meeting.
Nonprofit affordable housing builder the Venice Community Housing Corp. wants to replace its current two-story offices at 720 Rose Ave., across the street from the Whole Foods parking lot, with a four-story complex that would include office space. The council voted 9-4 to support the project and send it to the city Planning Commission for consideration in January.
Both VCHC Executive Director Becky Dennison and Alison Hurst, executive director of the Venice-based homeless advocacy nonprofit Safe Place for Youth, said former foster youth might be the fastest-growing demographic of Venice’s homeless population.
“This is going to help [reduce] the number of young people who are dying on our streets,” Hurst said. “It sets a precedent for Venice to build more housing, especially for young people who are working in our community but who don’t have a place to live.”
Supporters of the Rose Avenue project came to the meeting holding red roses and wearing black T-shirts displaying the phrase “I support housing for unhoused people in the neighborhood.”
“There’s a very loud contingent of voices that unfortunately have been very negative about what we’re trying to do. That’s
why people wanted us to get the T-shirts — to show that there are people in the community who support these types of worthy projects,” Dennison said.
The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates that 5,000 unaccompanied youth with connections to the foster system die each year from assault, illness or suicide.
Locally, despite the resources that local nonprofits bring to the table, “there is absolutely no supportive housing for them in Venice,” Dennison said.
In terms of opposition, it was the building itself — not its purpose — that was cause for discussion.
“Employees from La Cabaña, Whole Foods and MedMen already park on my street, so I’m not able to park on my own street anymore. I’m all for affordable housing, but not at the expense of everyone else in the community,” said Rachel Plasencia, who lives about a block away from the project.
The biggest sticking point was granting an exception to the Venice Specific Plan in order to allow a building height of 45 feet instead of 35. Opponents say recommending a 45-foot project to city planners will open the door for larger buildings in the area, while supporters argue that the neighborhood council has granted plenty of exceptions before.
“Those who opposed this project talked about mass, scale, character and precedent, but as I’ve said in response, that train left the station a long time ago,” said neighborhood council member Cindy Chambers, who supported the project. “I found it disingenuous to oppose a project based on those criteria when we confront this issue all the time. To me, it was more about who were being housed rather than the structure itself.”
If the project continues to win approvals, Dennison estimates construction can begin as early as summer.
gary@argonautnews.com
Another great win for developers. We have essentially lost the airport land and height restrictions and now Connie whoever doesn’t care about a 4 story homeless structure on Rose. Contrary to her statement, There are few if any 4 story buildings now on Rose. The Neighborhood cares.
It’s disingenuous for Becky Denison or any of the Venice Community Housing Corporation members to round people up for support of the Rose Avenue project, when the VCHC has a DIRECT interest in the project. They are the potential builders/ contractors. I find it manipulative to have vulnerable and lost souls wearing the VCHC support “T-Shirts” while adding another building to their portfolio as their website previously touted “15 Buildings and Counting”.
Becky Denison said: “There’s a very loud contingent of voices that unfortunately have been very negative about what we’re trying to do. That’s why people wanted us to get the T-shirts — to show that there are people in the community who support these types of worthy projects.”
The opposition would say the opposite, “There’s a very loud contingent of voices like the VCHC builders, that unfortunately want to expand their business model here in Venice and are being very negative about what we’re trying to do – TO KEEP A HEALTHY COMMUNITY, AND TO KEEP FAIRNESS OF HOMELESS SUPPORT SERVICES AND BUILDING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF DISTRICT 11 and not just in Venice.”
TWO SIDES OF ONE STORY.
The business model of the VCHC and its expansion relies on the homeless and homelessness.
If Becky Denison or someone not associated with winning the building contract had coordinated the support for the project at the meeting, I would accept that it was true, heartfelt support for this project and for those in need. But when it’s the builder contractor coordinating support for the project, I become both skeptical and a bit sickened the manipulation and the level of aggressiveness of the VCHC to place so much homeless housing in Venice and not look to other un-impacted areas like the Pacific Palisades (22.8 square miles) and Mar Vista (3 square miles) to name a few.
Venice is 3.089 square miles. 99% of the homeless housing and shelters either here or proposed along with support services are on Lincoln Blvd. and West of Lincoln Blvd. Limiting the square mileage to an even lesser amount.
We cannot have a healthy community when its main building contractor is only interested in expanding homelessness to keep their business model revved up, and even accepting a $500,000 grant from Santa Monica in order to house Santa Monica homeless in Venice.
The VCHC is no friend to Venice because they are not seeking a balance for a healthy community that is not the only bearer of this heavy load in district 11.