LA HABRA : Hearing Tonight to Key on Mary’s Home

The City Council is expected to hear arguments tonight over the city’s first temporary housing facility for homeless families and reach what opponents and supporters hope will be a final decision on the controversial Mary’s Home for Transitional Families.

It will mark the sixth time that a revised plan for the facility has landed before the council or Planning Commission since last December.

On each occasion, promoters of the home have scaled back their plans in hopes of seeing it built. One revision decreased the number of families allowed to live on the site from 32 to 28.

Opponents have argued against a proposed location for the facility, a 1.55-acre lot behind Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and School, claiming that the facility would decrease property values and increase traffic.

If the home is to be built, the council will have to change the area’s zoning, alter the general plan and approve two conditional-use permits.

Last month, the Planning Commission voted 2 to 1 in favor of recommending that the project go before the council. Although it was neither a positive nor a negative vote for the project, Mary’s Home supporters saw it as a good sign.

Commissioner Joan Johnson cast the dissenting vote, giving as one reason that money used to establish the home--an expected $2.5 million--would be better spent on affordable, single-family housing.

If the council approves the project, opponents such as Jay Scott have vowed to appeal and seek legal counsel if necessary. Scott’s two-story townhouse, located 25 feet from the site, would overlook the east side of the facility it is built.

“I have talked to several attorneys,” Scott said, “and if it goes through, I’ll appeal by any legal way necessary.”

The public hearing will be a part of the regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.