Council approves child care center

After a contentious debate over traffic concerns, the City Council

Tuesday approved a more than $2-million child care facility and

family resource center to be constructed at the former site of the

Buena Vista branch library.

The council voted 3-1 to approve a construction bid for the center

and close off a nearby alley for a project that has been in the works

for more than two years.

“I’m not pleased at all with the cost, but I do recognize that

providing high-quality child care services is an investment in

children and our future,” City Councilwoman Marsha Ramos said. “I

feel it’s the best use of this facility at the current time.”

The council’s approval -- with Mayor Jef Vander Borght dissenting

-- came after more than a dozen residents spoke on the pros and cons

of the project.

Though most agreed that a child care center was a good idea,

several residents were concerned about possible traffic snarls and

hazards that a center near a busy street and in their neighborhood

could create.

“Parents in a hurry to drop off their kids march to the beat of

their own drummer,” said Steve Guri, a resident on Buena Vista Street

who lives a few addresses away. “In general, I think the child care

center is an excellent idea and I’m all for it -- and it will

definitely increase my property values -- but at the same time I’m

still worried it’s going to bottleneck the road.”

But city Traffic Engineer Ken Johnson said that traffic generated

by the child care center was relatively minor and manageable.

“At the child care center, you’ve got 80 to 90 kids per day, as

opposed to the school, where you have 400 to 500. If problems arise

[the city] can enact enforcements, put up signs, make changes on site

if necessary. They can open and close access points. There’s a lot we

can do if problems arise, but I don’t envision it happening.”

The proposed 7,900-square-foot center and family resource center

at the northwest corner of Buena Vista Street and Verdugo Avenue

would accommodate up to 88 children. The resource center would offer

information on city services and provide classes in parenting, child

development, financial planning and other topics.

The Planning Board in January signed off on allowing the land to

be used for the centers. But they too were concerned about reducing

traffic and parking effects on the neighborhood.

The renovation will include adding 640 square feet to the existing

building, overhead and underground rerouting of electrical lines and

vacating a portion of a north/south alley with access from Verdugo

Road. Residents in the area became concerned that blocking off the

alley behind the building would cut off their access to nearby

streets.

Several options have been considered for the site, with only two

that city officials have found compatible with the area: a

residential use -- either five single-family homes or a nine-unit

residential development -- or the child care center, with the

existing building left standing, according to a staff report.

A community meeting was held in May on the issue and, according to

the report, no consensus was reached for what to do with the site.

But city officials did hear two resounding messages: one was to keep

the existing building and the other was to use it for a

community-based need.

Vander Borght’s dissent was over priorities. It’s a good idea, he

said.

But an investment in local transit would be better, he added.

City Councilwoman Stacey Murphy did not attend the meeting.