By Alan Toy Santa Monica Teachers need a home retreat Editor:
Regarding Joan Rogers’ complaint about the unhealthful air around the new Community Corp.’s building on 26th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard (“Affordable housing is no bargain,” March 21, page 4), there were not one, but two preschools on that site for many years. Where was Ms. Rogers’ deep anxiety about community health then? My son attended one of those preschools — Free To Be Me — and has no evidence of any greater lung damage than any child or person living in the LA basin can expect to have. He played outside every day there along with the other kids. Does Ms. Rogers think living in missions or on the streets is better for poorer families and their children?
You build where it is most affordable, especially for housing that is not expected to bring market rates to the developers. More and more infill housing — for the rich and the poor — will need to be built to accommodate the population growth in our region. Compared to where some of it is and will be located, 26th and Santa Monica is a very desirable location.
If Ms. Rogers is so concerned about our filthy air, I hope she gets out of her car and rides the bus a lot. That will do more good than writing snide letters about affordable housing developers to the SMDP.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 22, 2007. Read the original PDF.