By Camas Frank
The long decrepit former Sunny Acres children’s home/ sanitarium that dominates a hillside overlooking Johnson Avenue will finally be allowed a transformation into Bishop Street Studios.
The plans of Transitions Mental Health Association’s (TMHA) to turn the superstructure of the old brick building into part of a housing complex for the nonprofit’s mentally ill clients hit an unexpected bump when area resident Ray Righetti filed an appeal of the Architectural Review Commission’s Sept. approval. That was resolved Nov. 15 during the last regular meeting of the current City Council before new members are sworn in Dec. 9.
Only two members of the public got up to speak against the project, but the positive comments and discussion period went on for hours.
The Council was unanimous, with 4-0 with Councilman Dan Carpenter on vacation in Hawaii.
Much of the good will in the room came from clients and neighbors of TMHA’s existing projects in the City, and added Transitions’ Executive Director, Jill Bolster-White, some of the people who turned out in support were once concerned about the who would move in next door as well.
She is hoping that some of the fears presented by Righetti were cleared up during discussion and in a personal chat with him afterwards, which she summed up by saying that she believed he was “comforted” by the show of public support from people that share his community values.
“We’re moving forward with the financing package now,” she explained noting that they’ll be needing $1 million in local donations and grants to show a matching interest when they go for federal funds. “We have a small capital campaign we’re starting. Our big deadline [for grants] is March 2017.”
Original plans called for 35 residential units but recent estimates showed that 33 people, THMA’s higher functioning clients in need of support services but not assisted living with at least one site manager living permanently on site.
Since THMA first expressed interest in the site, the project has been touted as a triumph for preservationists, who have tried to keep the building in public ownership since the County announced plans to sell it.
The building has been ostensibly abandoned longer than most of the vandals or paranormal fright seekers that gutted the place had been alive, having been shut down permanently in 1974.
However, it’s always been a prime location, near several County facilities on the north side of the City, including Social Services.
Plans are for the project to start construction in early 2018 and be ready to open in 2019 / 2020.
– Photos by Camas Frank – Circa 2011
