Halfway house eyes El Centro again
EL CENTRO — The city of El Centro’s Planning Commission will meet tonight to discuss and take possible action regarding a zoning change and conditional use permit application from the developer of a proposed residential re-entry center for federal inmates.
Members of the six-member commission had previously met on April 10 to discuss and take potential action on the matter, but instead chose to continue the hearing in order to gather additional information regarding the center’s potential impact.
Since then, city staff had contacted law enforcement officials and business and community members operating in close proximity to existing RRC centers operated by Behavioral Services Southwest, which is proposing a 55-bed facility in the 300 block of West Olive Avenue.
“Based on the number of calls generated from the other BSS facilities and conversations with local businesses and property managers, it was not determined that the facility will result in an increase in crime or safety concerns in the immediate area,” the Planning Commission’s report stated.
City staff had also contacted the Brawley Police Department regarding a similar federal residential re-entry center located near the city’s downtown area.
“They commented that they have no issues with the facility in that city,” the report stated.
A zoning change is needed in order for BSS to operate its residential facility at the proposed Olive Avenue location, which is currently zoned for light manufacturing. BSS’s application requests that the site’s zoning be changed to a limited use designation allowing for residential living.
Similarly, a conditional use permit is being sought to convert the existing building into an RRC, complete with three men’s dormitories, one women’s dormitory, dining/ multipurpose room, kitchen, laundry rooms and several small office spaces.
The Planning Commission has the option tonight of approving BSS’s applications, albeit with a number of conditions. It can also deny the requests or choose to continue the hearing for further study.
Ultimately, the City Council will have final say over the proposed project’s conditional use permit and zone change applications.
The proposed facility is in response to a federal Bureau of Prisons request for proposals to have such a facility established in the El Centro or Brawley area. The Planning Commission’s report suggests BSS has not yet been selected to administer the local 10-year Bureau of Prisons contract.
Previously, BSS’s attempts to establish such a RRC in downtown El Centro were rebuffed by members of the community and the City Council.
In March 2017, the city had implemented a moratorium on such facilities within an area bounded by Fourth and Eighth streets on its eastern and western edge, and Broadway and State streets to the north and south.
The new proposed site is located in a light industrial area that, if approved, would require facility upgrades and security enhancements as mandated by the Planning Commission.
Nearby property owners and business representatives had spoken out against the proposed project at the commission’s April 10 meeting.
Further opposition came Friday in the form of a twopage letter sent to the commission on behalf of a family trust that represents the property owner of six contiguous parcels on Fourth Street.
The Fourth Street parcels span from Orange Avenue to Brighton Avenue and have been in the hands of the surviving family members of Joe Maloof since the 1950s.
“El Centro, and especially the east side of El Centro needs improved industrial and retail growth to serve the citizens of that neighborhood,” the Maloof family’s letter stated.
“What it does not need is a federal prisoners rehabilitation housing that will simply hinder future development in the area but also reverse the positive improvements that have been made over the past few years as El Centro begins to recover from a deep recession.”
Offenders eligible to reside at such RRCs include those nearing release from their sentence or those sentenced to about a year in custody, which typically represents the maximum length of time that offenders remain at such centers.
Residents are only permitted to leave the re-entry center for employment, to find housing, to obtain education and to attend religious services.
A center’s success at helping offenders re-establish themselves in the community depends largely on the level of resources and support available in the surrounding community, said Michael Braun, San Diego State University-Imperial Valley criminal justice professor.
Research also shows that offenders who have access to such resources after their release tend to refrain from further criminal acts, or when they do re-offend, it’s usually for crimes that are not as severe as their initial offense, Braun said.
“What we know about any kind of intervention is it has to be comprehensive for it to be successful,” Braun said. “It’s really beneficial to have relationships with businesses and people who are willing to give offenders second chances.”