By Mary O’KEEFE

Although nurse Agnes Richards, by all accounts, was not one who complained about facing hardships when she opened her sanitarium for women, known as Rockhaven, in 1923 it is most certain that there were obstacles she had to overcome, particularly being a woman who owned and operated a business. And one might wonder what she would think today as the historical institute that she created was being discussed and debated at Glendale City Hall.

There are those who would like to take Rockhaven into the future, to return it to a medical facility, while others want to create a “boutique lifestyle” complex on the grounds and include the community in the process. These were among the six presentations made to the Glendale City Council on Tuesday.

In April 2014 the City Council first authorized the issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Rockhaven. A committee that included community members was formed to help review the applications and to see if they followed what the community wanted for the historic Rockhaven site. Many of those RFQs included housing projects ranging in size from 44 to 150 units. The committee rejected those proposals and the city decided to put  Rockhaven’s future on hold. Then on Feb. 23 the Council issued a new round of RFQs.

Six of the seven companies presented their vision to the Council on Tuesday. The council listened and will make a decision in two weeks as to what they feel is the best for the property that is now on state and federal historical lists. The seven companies that offered proposals are Avalon Investment Company and Creative Space, Brooks Street and the Lab, Cliffside Malibu, David Houk-Houk Development Company, Gangi Design Led Build, Metro Investments and Summit Senior Life.

The first to present was a representative from Avalon Investment Company. It is a Los Feliz-based real estate development and management company. From the beginning it was obvious this company was excited about the prospect of turning Rockhaven into a boutique hotel retreat that would include 45-room suites with a swimming pool, open space, gardens, an indoor/outdoor wedding and community events venue, spa, fitness studio and dining center and an artist cottage and museum. It would also have bicycle rentals allowing patrons to ride to Montrose Shopping Park and other local areas. Almost all of the Rockhaven buildings would be maintained, with the exception of one building that is not on the historical list. Avalon is working with Creative Space, a real estate, marketing, architectural and consulting service company, and architect Brenda Levin, whose background includes work on historical buildings, and Mia Lehrer as the landscape architect. The company proposed a purchase price of $4,125,000 and estimates an annual Transit Occupancy Tax of $465,000. It plans on allowing the community onto the property.

David Houk-Houk Development Company presented its plan as an in-patient psychiatric residential treatment facility. It plans on restoring all historically significant structures and building a 150- space subterranean garage on the western portion of the property. The property would be purchased outright from the city for $8.6 million. Rockhaven would be a closed facility without public access.

Gangi Design, a local company, is proposing the Rockhaven Historic Park and “boutique lifestyle” establishments. This is the most Crescenta Valley community centric of the proposals. Gangi plans on incorporating a farm-to-table restaurant and garden cultivation space that will be hosted by Kurt Gelsinger, the longtime Montrose business owner of Zeke’s Smokehouse. It will also provide space for local organizations to meet, like Friends of Rockhaven and the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. It also envisions an online radio station, a wine store and Poetic Research Bureau. It would include a surface parking lot on the southwest corner of the property and shops that would not compete with those in the Montrose Shopping Park. There is also a proposed trolley that would take patrons from Rockhaven to the Montrose Shopping Park. Gangi proposed to either purchase or lease the property. It would lease with a $0 purchase price and estimates taxable sales at $5 million per year which, according to Gangi, would translate to $50,000 a year in sales tax revenue to the city.

Summit Senior Life’s proposal would be another turn toward Rockhaven’s history as a medical facility. This proposal would feature 159 units for seniors with underground parking. It would include 108 assisted living units, 20 memory care units and 30 independent living units. It would rehabilitate one of the existing Rockhaven buildings for use as a potential museum. It wants to purchase the buildings outright from the city offering $5 million.

Metro Investments is a Glendale-based residential and commercial real estate company that is proposing a Rockhaven Village and Park concept. It will rehabilitate the existing Rockhaven buildings into a retail village, making certain not to compete with Montrose Shopping Park. It would also create a public park and 36 first-time homebuyer residential units.

Cliffside Malibu has proposed an inpatient and outpatient substance abuse recovery center. It proposes rehabilitation of almost all Rockhaven buildings except for two that have been identified as having low historic integrity. Cliffside would have 50 beds within the existing buildings and another 50 beds on the western portion of the parcel. An outdoor area will be made available to the general public during normal business hours with some limitations.

After the presentations, the community was allowed to share its thoughts. The majority of the speakers were from Crescenta Valley and they had clear favorites, the first being the Gangi proposal, followed by Avalon Investment and Metro.

The main focus, according to the residents who spoke at the meeting, was to allow public access and to keep Rockhaven true to what it has become –a historical center of Glendale/Crescenta Valley.

The concern from most who spoke was about parking and maintaining the property as a city park/property. A resident who lives across from Rockhaven said she thought Gangi’s proposal best fit with the Montrose 20/20 Vision plan and the original goal of the city to keep Rockhaven historical and available to the public.

Joanna Linkchorst, a far north Glendale resident, added that Rockhaven has been under the budget of the City of Glendale Parks Dept.

“This means elected representatives are considering selling public park land,” she said.

She also shared that many who presented “just don’t get it.”

“Many are proposing an Agnes Richards Memorial Garden or some such [thing]. It isn’t about Agnes or Pat [her granddaughter [who operated Rockhaven longer than Agnes did]. It’s about what happened there. It’s about this being the last historically intact sanitarium in Los Angeles. All others were upgraded to keep operating or adaptively reused beyond recognition,” she said. “Most of these proposals plan to change too much of the historical elements.”

Mike Morgan, a Crescenta Valley resident, reminded the Council and those who presented that those who live and work in the area of Rockhaven are unique.

“Crescenta Valley thinks of itself as a different entity, not just Glendale,” he said.

He said that of the proposals he felt that Metro, Gangi and Avalon best fit what the community has stated it wanted, and reflects the original city goal for the property.

Morgan also asked that the Council, prior to reaching a decision on what proposal they would like to vet, first reach out to community members to allow them to share their opinions.

At this point the Council has a lot to think about. The Council was praised for its outreach to developers and being sensitive to the concerns of the community. The hope now is that it continues to reach out to the residents while reviewing the proposals prior to making a decision.

In two weeks the Council will present its choice and then the negotiations with the chosen developer will begin.

  Mary Okeefe