​ART OF THE POSSIBLE UPDATE

Because of an item on the Hermosa Beach Planning Commission’s agenda on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, St. Cross has been the subject of local discussion and an online petition. A few of you have contacted us about rumors and concerns you are hearing in the community. We want to address some of those rumors and concerns for the sake of clarity and transparency.

Up front, we want to quell rumors that (a) St. Cross intends to demolish the church and build a large apartment complex in its place, and (b) St. Cross' properties are for sale or have been sold to a developer. We can emphatically say that these rumors are not correct.

At its June 20 meeting, the Planning Commission approved staff-recommended changes to the City’s housing element and general plan. Some of the properties affected by the changes include properties owned by St. Cross.

The revised plan will upzone various properties in the City, meaning that if a property is redeveloped the owner can build more housing units on the property than is currently allowed. Even though the revised plan was only recently approved by the Planning Commission, the upzoning of the properties owned by St. Cross actually has been included in the proposed revised plan since 2021. The most recent changes to the proposed revised plan did not affect St. Cross’ properties. The revised plan was approved by the Planning Commission on June 20th, and remains subject to approval by the City Council.

To be clear, these changes do not mandate St. Cross to build anything. They give us the opportunity to do more with the properties, if we so choose.

As Christians, we recognize that we are called to be good stewards of the resources available to us. A few years ago, independent of the City’s potential revisions to its general plan, we formed a committee called “Art of the Possible” to examine possibilities related to St. Cross’ residential real estate portfolio (our rental properties currently provide housing for 19 households). Like many people across the region, including State and Local officials, as well as many advocates and non-profit organizations, we recognize the widespread need for affordable housing. Since our founding as a church in 1907, St. Cross has strived to serve the community as a sign of God’s love. The Art of the Possible committee is continuing its work, no recommendations have been made, and St. Cross as a parish is continuing to discern how we can best use the resources with which we have been entrusted.

We as a church are eager to continue exploring how we may be able to use these properties to, among other things, meet the identified need of housing in our community. The revised housing element approved by the Planning Commission, if approved by the City Council, will provide additional flexibility in that regard.

To be clear, at this time we have not formulated any building designs or plans. As the process progresses, we look forward to receiving input from St. Cross’ members, neighbors, and local community. In that regard, in the coming weeks we hope to host a meeting or meetings at the church with St. Cross members, our neighbors and the community to discuss the proposal currently pending before the City Council and how it applies specifically to St. Cross. If you would like to participate or stay aware of the process, please join our email list by registering here: https://forms.gle/D3LqRLZjao9tC8Eb7.

Peace,

Jack Tedford

Senior Warden