The West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (WHCHC) has reached out to residents of the Detroit Bungalows to assure them that they will not be permanently evicted.
In a letter delivered to residents of the 8 bungalow units, which are on Detroit Street between Lexington Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, WHCHC’s director of real estate development, Jesse Slansky, said: “You are not being evicted. If a project is approved by the city, everyone will be relocated temporarily, and only if you so choose, permanently.”
“You will have first preference for a unit at the new building,” Slansky said in the letter. “If you have a qualifying disability, there is a high likelihood your future rent will be lower than what it is now.
“A relocation consultant will help you, if you like, to identify a variety of options for temporary housing. We are also looking into the possibility of providing units together in one building, if that is an option you would prefer.
“You will be entitled to generous monetary relocation benefits. These are based on your income, and the relocation consultant will work with you on a one-on-one basis to calculate your benefits package. Returning to the new building will not impact your benefits calculation.”
Slansky also offered an apology from WHCHC for not communicating with the residents about the redevelopment project earlier.
In December WHCHC, a non-profit organization whose mission is providing affordable housing for low-income, elderly and disabled people, purchased a lot at 1123 and 1127 Detroit St. It plans to demolish the Detroit Bungalows and the building on the newly purchased lot and build a 22- to 66-unit building. Slansky said WHCHC is still studying its options. In an interview with WEHOville last week, Robin Conerly, WHCHC’s executive director, said the organization would need additional funding beyond the $1 million loan to it by the city of West Hollywood for the project.
Visits to the bungalows and the lot next door by people doing soil sampling raised an alarm among the 11 bungalow residents. Dr. Pamela Love, one of those residents, organized an online campaign in opposition to the proposed demolition.
The campaign has gotten attention from some candidates in the March 3 race for West Hollywood City Council, with John Allendorfer, Lauren Meister and Larry Block visiting the bungalows to meet with the residents
In his letter Slansky said WHCHC has no choice but to replace the bungalows, which were built in the 1920s, because of the cost of maintaining them. “We know you love your home,” he wrote. “But because of its age, very small size, very low rents and increasing need and requests for maintenance and beautification, the bungalows are operating at a loss. Unfortunately, the status quo is unsustainable.”
Whatever happens, one lot or two, major thought needs to be put into design. The east-side while greatly improved, is still seen as the dumping ground for those with lesser means. Senior/disabled/low-income housing needs to be spread more evenly around the city.
We need for sale units on the east-side along with all the rental units. This is the only way the area will become more diverse.
Did it ever occur to any of you that in addition to all that is going on with the Bungalows, and WHCHC that maybe there does not need to be yet another 5-6 story building in our NEIGHBORHOODS! Yes, affordable housing is the West Hollywood mantra for bigger, louder, higher….faster, but what about affordable housing in a neighborhood friendly building? 1). What about those tenants who have lived in a bungalow style home for 40 years…they first have to be relocated, with some sort of financial package that I have heard has to be repaid….where will their transitional home be?… Read more »
Good Job “WARUG”……”Aging in Place” means staying in your community, where your friends are. It doesn’t mean staying in substandard housing forever. That would be cruel.
I guess for some…..No good deed goes unpunished.
For those of you who do not receive SSI and know nothing about it, The “generous relocation package” $17,000 max for disabled MUST MUST MUST MUST BE PAID BACK TO SSI. How long would it take you to pay back $17,000 on a $889 a month salary? And if WHCHC attempts to say my above statement is incorrect, this was the information given to me by the DEL RICHARDSON AGENCY hired by WHCHC to discuss relocation! GET YOUR STORY STRAIGHT WEST HOLLYWOOD COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION! And for the statement made by WHCHC that the tenants could move back into the… Read more »
What-Ax-R-U-Grinding?, very well put! No one ever asks how we are going to have affordable housing if we cannot increase stock. It is as if supply and demand doesn’t exist.
As a longtime WeHo resident, I’ve followed WeHoville’s coverage of our City and it’s various goings on, but have never commented previously. In reading the stories on the Bungalows and perusing the comments, especially the comments on this posting, it’s clear that many folks see “chem-trail conspiracies” about everything – and that our City-hall is largely the perpetrator. What irks me most – and prompted this comment – is the hypocrisy of logic by many posters on here. Frankly, me thinks some of them will never be happy any of the time ….. To wit – Rumor 1.) Initial outrage… Read more »
I took a look at the WHCHC’s Form 990 for the 2013 calendar year. In 2013, it had an net profit of $453,009. In 2012, it has a loss of $180,877. But overall, it has $1.79 million in cash on hand at the end of 2013. I think you need to pay competitive salaries to employees to have a well-run organization – whether it’s for profit or not, so I’m not down on them for getting paid. The financial statements don’t set out a profit/loss for each property, although you can go through the depreciation schedules to see how much… Read more »
Sounds like nothing has changed with the Bungalows and their residents. The WHCHC has just put their intentions, and their reasoning, in writing. The fight continues. As for the WHCHC being against maintaining old buildings – just look at the old, small, historic, former fire house on Hancock (near SMB). Just a few years ago, the WHCHC converted the former fire house into low income housing. It was also built circa 1920s. What’s happening with the Bungalows has nothing to do with the Bungalows – it has to do with the culture at City Hall and that the WHCHC is… Read more »
I agree with James Chud. In addition, why is there a failure to grasp that if we want affordable housing in the city, we need more housing in the city. The fact that 11 bungalows sit where double or triple the amount of units could sit is why LA’s housing is so unaffordable.
I agree also, however, that moving is stressful, so i would be interested to see how much support these residents get.
I am glad to see Jesse Slansky’s immediate response to the public and that a lot of the rumors of being ‘kicked to the curb’ were a bit exaggerated. While they are adorable in a funky sort of way, the bungalows are a maintenance nightmare. As both an owner of 2 homes that needed total renovation and an architect working on both residential and several large modernization projects for the Rouse Corporation in DC in my first career, I have intimate knowledge of the ‘hidden and not so hidden costs’ associated with an older property. Its very romantic to assume… Read more »
Geez! I wish I lived there now. These people are going to be way better off then they are now. VERY lucky I say. Let em demolish the eye sore and you will get a brand new place to live in when the new building is built. Lucky, lucky, lucky!!! You get a generous relocation package also. How cool is that!
Salaries for this group are over a million a year. Check it out. As for their units – all the wait-lists are closed. This is juan another group overpaid bureaucrats like the city manage of WEHO. Who lives in Pasadena! Here are the financials…https://www.whchc.org/filelibrary/WHCHC%20IRS%20Form%20990%2012-31-13%20(public%20copy).pdf