$500M “healthy living” campus project in Redondo Beach slims down

Local opposition to Beach Cities Health District plan led to cut in cost and size of mixed-use complex

Beach Cities Health District CEO Tom Bakaly and renderings of the Redondo Beach campus. (BCHD)
Beach Cities Health District CEO Tom Bakaly and renderings of the Redondo Beach campus. (BCHD)

The Beach Cities Health District is taking a machete to its planned $500 million “Healthy Living Campus” project in Redondo Beach.

The new sprawling complex is set to cost $370 million — down from $530 million — and the overall project will be cut by 100,000 square feet, according to the Daily Breeze. The development site is 11 acres at 514 N. Prospect Avenue, with the BCHD set to unveil its latest proposal at a June board meeting.

This will be the health agency’s second attempt to get the project approved. BCHD serves Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach. Local complaints about its size — among other issues — led to the change, according to the report.

The new plan calls for 484,900 square feet of new construction, down from the previous 592,700 square feet. The property already has about 260,000 square feet of existing facilities.

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It also eliminates residential units on the east side of the property and reduces assisted living units from 420 to 220. BCHD plans to keep medical offices it earlier planned to convert into assisted living facilities.

Health District officials expect construction to take up to five years in two phases. Phase 1 includes the demolition of an aging hospital building. Phase 2 would rebuild the hospital as the Community Wellness Pavilion.

Even with the downsize, the project is among the largest in Redondo Beach. Developer Leo Pustilnikov may have a larger one in the works at the city’s former power plant, but that hasn’t yet been formally proposed.

[DB] — Dennis Lynch