Question: What should be done with...

Question: What should be done with the Taper Avenue military housing? MARY L. GIMENEZ

Executive director of Harbor Interfaith Shelter, which wants to use part of the parcel for emergency shelters and transitional housing

When we talk about Taper Avenue, we’re talking about families. Our proposal is for 50 families, which is usually a mother and two children. They are limited to a 60-day stay, during which 80% of their funds are saved for first and last month’s rent. They take workshops on budgeting, job skills and parenting. In our 45 years, no one has come back.

I’ve lived in San Pedro since I was 9. There is a long and rich history of taking care of our own. In a climate where the county is talking about laying off 10,000 people and the Long Beach Naval Base is closing, homelessness is a real concern. Most of us are only two or three paychecks away from it. And homelessness doesn’t discriminate on the basis of color, sex or job.

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LAUREN CHOI

Florist shop employee

Retired people living there would be OK, because they’re quiet. But no homeless. This is a business area, and it’s not a good place for homeless people. There are not a lot of people who want to be around bums. Actually, I think they should tear down the whole place and build a mall.

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JOHN ASHWORTH

Taper Avenue-area homeowner

The two leading proposals are for [a new parochial high school] and senior citizens [housing]. There is enough land to accommodate a high school, and there is no high school on this side of town. The drugs and other things at public schools are not such a problem at parochial schools because there is greater control.

The senior citizen proposal sounded real good too. There is a growing number of them and limited availability of assisted-care housing. But it’s not a good location for people who have no car or transportation. But that property is not taxed right now, so anything that generates tax revenue would lessen the burden on the rest of us.

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ROCHELLE CURTICE

Lives near Taper Avenue property

Low-income people would be OK, but no homeless people. They’ll bring in drugs and everything.

There are a lot of kids in this area. It’s hard to keep an eye on the kids at all times. Nowadays, you have to worry about who is living next door. In the military, a lot of fathers are gone and families are by themselves.

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HILARY MEJEWSKI

Fire control detail aboard USS Kincaid; lives near Taper Avenue property

I think the houses should be rented out to homeless people--families who can’t find a job or can’t get work. If you’re on the street, you have no phone, no address. You have to have an address to find a job, and without a phone, there’s no credit.

The housing should be run just like the military: If residents mess up, they’re out. If they get into a house, they must fix it up and get on their feet, then help fix up another place for other people to live in.

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MAUREEN GREIDER

Member of San Pedro Area Reuse Committee; Rancho Palos Verdes homeowner

The Taper Avenue plan must offer something to the community and still satisfy government regulations for surplus properties. I have no problem with senior citizens living there, or homeless people, as long as [the activity] is organized by someone with a reputable track record. Some open space would be nice as there are needs for recreation. But a lot of parks are not being maintained, so who is going to pay?

--Interviews and photos by M.K. Kuehler