Planned Seniors' Project Greeted with Protests

SAN GABRIEL, CA-More than 100 angry residents of this Los Angeles suburb turned out for a community meeting to protest the proposed construction of a relatively small assisted-living project, even though the project’s builders say the complex might very well soon house some of the protestors’ own parents.

The public hearing was organized by field deputies of Mike Antonovich, the area’s county supervisor. Southland-based Sunrise Development wants to build the 59-unit complex, which would house about 70 seniors, at the corner of Huntington and Sunnyslope drives.

The project would replace a low-rise medical office building. Sunrise development executive Bob MacNamera told the crowd that building the new project would actually reduce traffic and air pollution in the area because few of the assisted-living residents can drive, but that didn’t ease the neighbors’ concerns.