Senior center plan raises many questions

Being only one year away from receiving my first AARP magazine and one block away from the Huntington Beach Senior Center, I have a strong interest in seeing a more modernized center for our city.

But before we move too fast, I would like a few more questions researched and documented by our city staff and consultants.

I know funding of our new center won’t be a problem like the past Central Park Sports Field. Selling our senior center site ? assuming our city approves the sale and subdivision of the current center’s block to allow 28 single-family home parcels, each valuing at about $750,000, equals about $21 million ? would just about cover the cost of our proposed new Central Park senior center.

I do have some ethical community questions that should be frankly discussed and openly resolved before we move too fast.

Decades ago, Chevron gave this block-sized parcel to the city with its stipulation it be used for open space/recreation. I would assume Chevron meant for in-perpetuity and, therefore, took its rightful tax breaks and credits. Now, knowing that the city has asked Chevron to remove its open space/recreation use on this parcel and then most likely declare it as surplus land for public auction, my neighbors and I have some questions.

They are: How do we divide up the sales proceeds of approximately $21 million among our very deserving seniors needing assistance as well as other very deserving age groups also needing assistance and recreational open space opportunities? Will Chevron have to repay its associated tax breaks and credits, or will our city rebate Chevron for them? Will our city use an appropriate amount of sale proceeds to acquire the same amount of open space dedicated to our proposed Central Park senior center, and acquire and develop other (pocket) parklands in our neighborhoods where open space is not near enough? Will our city be clear and specific, beginning with surplus property public auction documents, to ensure the new (privatized) land use fits into our neighborhood of the current center ? including density and diverse architecture (because our neighborhood has multiple architectural styles)? Also, will our new Central Park senior center be an eco-friendly “green” building and parking lot being next door to the existing Shipley Nature Center and beautiful wetlands?

Anyway, here’s to a more modernized senior center, but not at the expense of everyone associated by a surplus land declaration and public sale, and loss of open space.