Senior center details are key

There is no discounting the difficulty inherent in the debate about whether to build a new senior center in a part of Huntington Central Park near the parking lot for the Shipley Nature Center. After all, who is going to play the role of the bad guy in this argument? The people fighting to maintain the city’s open space ? an all-too-rare commodity in our urban lives ? or the people who say the city doesn’t have enough quality service for the growing senior population in town? This is clearly a case of two groups with the best intentions clashing together.

Unfortunately, both sides cannot win, and it is the City Council’s unenviable position to decide which will come out on the losing end. In this case, however, the council can find a way to keep the victory from being a lopsided one.

And it’s all in the details.

Looked at more closely, the proposed senior center does not seem to ruin the 14 acres of land. Just five acres will be developed, including a one-story building and more parking. Almost two acres of the development will be landscaping ? perhaps not the unfettered growth some might like but still far from a plot of urbanization in the park.

And it is a development for a good cause.

Certainly, there are ways to make the development even more of a good fit into the park. The landscaping ought to be in keeping with the natural feel of the area. The building should be designed so it has a “low profile.” All parts of the development should be created to situate the center as well as possible in what is a precious piece of the community.

Doing so can’t be impossible. Doing so would be worth supporting.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Should the city try to build more than one new senior center? Call our Readers Hotline at (714) 966-4691 or send e-mail to hbindependent@latimes.com. Please spell your name and include your hometown and phone number for verification purposes.