The purpose of the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center (WLA) Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998 (VPEA) Draft Master Plan, referred to as the “Draft Master Plan,†is to satisfy the legislative mandate of the Veterans Program Enhancement Act of 1998, requiring a “plan for the development of a master plan for the use of the lands…over the next 25 years and over the next 50 years.†This Draft Master Plan is a land use plan that guides the physical development of the campus to support its mission of patient-centered care, teaching, and research.
The Plan summarizes the work of previous planning studies to address future development for the unplanned portions of the land and is based on the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process and the new Strategic Capital Investment Planning (SCIP) process, a VA-wide planning tool for facilities and infrastructure. The Plan considers on-campus services that may change in the future, as they relate to the changing demographics of the Veteran population. In addition, it outlines recommended actions for how to plan for the limited, unallocated land and facilities in support of VA’s mission.
The most noteworthy modernization plans call for:
• The construction of a new inpatient tower (clinical expansion).
• Centralization of research activities to be adjacent to the clinical area.
• The collocation of VA regional office staff onto GLA grounds, offering Veterans comprehensive services in one location.
• Expansion of the Los Angeles National Cemetery onto the campus.
The plan also calls for an expansion of GLA’s homeless program through the renovation of several buildings (205, 208 and 209).
The plan outlines current sharing agreements with various partners. These partners include the California Veterans Home and community homeless recovery providers (Salvation Army, New Directions, etc.) and UCLA. All revenues from these agreements are used to benefit Veterans.
Key elements of the Master Plan include:
• This Master Plan supports the goal of creating a therapeutic and recovery oriented environment on the campus for Veterans to heal.
• Plan reflects legislative restrictions on the property which bans commercial development and disposition of the land.
• Future development of vacant land and/or the reuse of existing facilities on the WLA campus will be guided by mission, physical, and operational objectives. These objectives will be applied in priority order to directly benefit Veterans, fulfill the mission of VA and be compatible with the community.
• GLA will maintain current land use agreements and lease arrangements. When they individually expire, renewal will be based upon the criteria established in this Master Plan.
• The Master Plan shall incorporate the VA Secretary’s decision to adopt the CARES Capital Plan which specifies the VA capital plan for the medical center as it was recommended by the CARES Local Advisory Panel. This process will not be subject to reconsideration in the Master Plan process.
• New projects or agreements for the limited use of land or buildings on the WLA campus, not covered by VA’s SCIP process and/or CARES Capital Plan, will be evaluated against VA’s mission and the Draft Master Plan objectives and guiding principles established on pages 24 and 25.
The Draft Master Plan is now available for public viewing at www.losangeles.va.gov . Written comments on the Draft Master Plan may be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov; or by mail or hand-delivery to Director, Regulations Management (02REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420; or by fax to (202) 273-9026. They must be received on or before February 19, 2011. The Draft Master Plan is available for viewing and we invite members of the public or other interested parties to review the draft plan and to comment on it. After the public comment period for this notice has closed, VA will make any necessary adjustments to the Draft Master Plan and publish a final document.
