Metro 6 — that 3.5-acre parcel on Sunset between Main and Pacific owned by the Metropolitan Transportation District … Will it be used for “Bridge” housing? Will it be a 100-percent permanent supportive homeless package? Will it be affordable housing?
Darryl DuFay has questions and comments after reading LA Times article that appeared Friday.
By Darryl DuFay
Let’s change from “Read and Weep” to “Read and Scream.”
We speculated in what might happen. Seems it may very well occur. Change the original intent right now and use the METRO 6 lot on Main St for homeless services and “temporary” housing!
In 2016 Councilman Mike Bonin proposed a number of projects to deal with homelessness (see photo below). You’re most familiar with two of the major proposed projects in Venice–The Venice Median and the Thatcher Yard. However, there is a third one. The Metro District 6 lot project where they use to service the Metro buses at Sunset Ave between Pacific Ave. and Main Street (map below).
Of crucial importance in this discussion is ownership, political influence. and money.. The first two properties are owned by the City of Los Angeles. The third one is owned by Metropolitan Transportation Authority aka Metro.
Mike Bonin is Chair of the LA City Council’s Transportation Committee but is also a member of the METRO Board of Directors along with Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Bonin formally directed the LA Metro to begin the “joint development process” at a board meeting January 28, 2016. LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl co-sponsered the motion.” Bonin’s other connections with the City Council Committees are the Homeless and Poverty, Budget and Finance, and Trade Travel and Tourism.
For the past two to three years the Metro property in Venice has been undergoing environmental rehab. The focus as we have been informed in their quarterly reports was for construction of homeless and affordable housing, which is in the METRO charter.
Now, this 3.5 acre parcel is being touted for homeless service and temporary housing. Garcetti’s LA City woefully underfunded “Bridge to Home” political gambit is mentioned as an example of what is being proposing.
Please read the article. Many questions and concerned are asked. But always keep in mind that something this big would not have been just proposed by some officials without first going up the political ladder for approval.
