Abatement Work May Begin Soon

--A Community "Success Story"

The Oak Knoll Coalition is pleased to report that tangible progress has been made toward addressing security, safety and fire hazards at the abandoned Oak Knoll site. We believe this would not have occurred without strong community activism and significant media attention. Neighbors not only lobbied politicians, city and county staff, but also filed a lawsuit in the bankruptcy court--all without cost to the Coalition.

On November 19, 2009, city attorney John Russo and councilmember Larry Reid announced that Lehman Brothers (with court approval) will commit $3.7 million in the next six months to abate the dangerous situation at Oak Knoll. A hearing before a Santa Ana bankruptcy judge on Dec. 18 could result in funds being released for the work as soon as Dec. 21.

We understand that this money will be used to demolish buildings, clean up debris, remove asbestos and secure the hospital and Club Knoll.  An additional $550,000 has already been released to pay for security guards, perimeter fence repair and vegetation management at the site, all of which is currently underway.

Will It Be Enough?

Despite the apparently good news, the OKC remains concerned that $3.7 million, if approved by the courts, may not be sufficient to meet the demands of the city’s "order to abate" (even excluding demolition of the hospital).

The city attorney's office initially requested $6.7 million to abate the hazardous conditions at the site, and it is our understanding that it would cost $5-8 million to take down all the derelict wood and masonry structures on the property, excluding the hospital. We believe it would cost at least $3-5 million more to demolish the hospital itself.

Although city staff previously estimated that the townhomes on the city's 5.5 acres at Oak Knoll would be demolished in late 2009, the timeline has changed.

The Coalition’s Role

The Coalition’s short-term goal at the Oak Knoll site is the demolition of all wood and masonry buildings (except the hospital and Club Knoll). We are actively pushing for that to be the top priority of the upcoming abatement effort and are advocating for wood-frame buildings to be removed first, since they represent the greatest fire danger to neighbors.

Longer term, we believe the hospital should be razed, not merely secured, since it will continue to be a serious attractive nuisance, and we will continue to press for its demolition.

The Coalition will continue to monitor the changing conditions at the Oak Knoll site and will be especially vigilant to see that the proper environmental mitigations are practiced during the upcoming abatement and demolition work.

What Lies Ahead

In the future, the bankruptcy courts are likely to approve the sale of the property to a new entity, at which point the planning process will resume. When this happens, the Coalition will remain committed to the community’s longstanding goals for the Oak Knoll site:

• Advocating for reasonable density
• Monitoring environmental mitigations during demolition and construction
• Securing  adequate traffic mitigations
• Supporting the daylighting and restoration of Rifle Range Creek
• Preserving Club Knoll for public use
• Protecting the site’s namesake knoll and oak woodlands from development
• Ensuring that active recreation areas and natural open spaces can be enjoyed by the entire community

 Last update 12/18/9

We will update this site with new information as it becomes available.