The Log Cabin hosts weekly 12-step programs for people recovering from various addictions. (photo by Jose Herrera)

After months of discussions between the cities of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, both parties have agreed upon a deal for the Log Cabin and parking lot which would allow the city of West Hollywood to enter a lease agreement with an option to purchase the property. Negotiations for the property, however, are still being finalized.

West Hollywood City Council members directed city staff to move forward with the lease to purchase agreement with the city of Beverly Hills, which currently owns the property located at 617-621 N. Robertson Blvd., during a meeting on Monday, March 16.

“When I heard the city of Beverly Hills was looking to get rid of the Log Cabin and redevelop the land, something had to be done,” Councilman John Duran said. “We want to express how important these meetings are for sobriety.”

Duran, who has been attending 12-step meetings for 22 years, added the Log Cabin is a place dedicated to 12-step programs. Each week, between 24 to 29 12-step meetings at the Log Cabin offer recovery services to combat addiction-related issues such as drugs, HIV and homelessness across the city of West Hollywood.

The lease to purchase agreement is set for a six-month period for an annual base rent of $1 with an option to purchase the property for $5.7 million.  The $1 is a nominal fee and common for this type of transaction, according to Steve Campbell, director of the West Hollywood facilities and recreation services department.

It is the minimum that a public agency can charge to prevent the transaction from being a gift of public funds.

It also directs the city of West Hollywood to provide additional compensation of 50% of the property’s fair-market value as determined by an independent third-party appraiser, if at any point in the future West Hollywood decides to redevelop the property or cease using the Log Cabin primarily for addiction recovery services.

The agreement is to begin no earlier than April 1 and, soon after, West Hollywood will be allowed to sublease the Log Cabin to the West Hollywood Recovery Center, which will use the property for recovery services.

During the six-month lease period, West Hollywood will determine rehabilitation costs and other potential issues. Each city will also appoint an ad-hoc committee of their respective City Councils to negotiate any outstanding issues.

The city of Beverly Hills had previously issued a notice in January to the West Hollywood Lions Club, which has been managing the property and hosting 12-step meetings in the Log Cabin since 1948, of a possible demolition, said Gyula Kangiszer, president of the West Lions Club.

But public outcry, including efforts from the recovery and West Hollywood communities, halted any decision made by Beverly Hills regarding the property. Although, as the cities work on finalizing their agreement, Kangiszer does not think it is the best solution.

“The West Hollywood City Council is trying to decide on the fate of the building and parking lot,” Kangiszer said. “We are worried about a potential clause that would allow the city to redevelop the property.”

Kangiszer said the Lions Club made an offer to the city of Beverly Hills to lease or purchase the Log Cabin in hopes they would reach an agreement instead of the city of West Hollywood.

He said he had hoped West Hollywood would extend the sublease to the Lions Club, but no conversations have occurred between the city and organization. According to a letter sent on Jan. 10 by the city of Beverly Hills to the Lions Club, it stated the club’s lease expired in 1977 and directed the Lions Club to vacate the building by March 31.

On April 1, when the city of West Hollywood plans to lease the Log Cabin from Beverly Hills, the Lions Club must to cease to operate on the property. 

Duran said the city is not seeking any partnership or co-habitation of the Log Cabin when they sublease it to the West Hollywood Recovery Center.

The Lions Club was not considered when the city was looking at potential organizations for the sublease of the Log Cabin, Duran said. He added, “the Lions Club has been largely absent,” and although they are charitable – donating to organizations such as the Red Cross –  their money goes outside the West Hollywood community.

The West Hollywood Recovery Center was the best option for the sublease due to a decade-long relationship with the city, Duran said.

“We trust them and we know them. The board of directors [is] composed of members of the community of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and other Westside cities,” Duran said. “We want the dollars being spent reinvested into our community.”

All parties involved agree that the history and current use of the Log Cabin is significant to the recovery community, especially during difficult times such as the coronavirus pandemic in Los Angeles County.

Until the end of the month, the West Hollywood Lions Club will continue in-person meetings at the Log Cabin and abide by current health regulations prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people, adhere to social distancing by setting chairs 6 to 8 feet apart, and offer more in-person meetings in smaller groups and online meetings too, according to Kangiszer.

The West Hollywood Recovery Center will be closed following orders from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, according to Duran. The center will provide meetings online using technology such as Zoom or Skype.

Additionally, West Hollywood City Manager Paul Arevalo clarified during a City Council meeting on Monday, March 16, some 12-step meetings held in public city-facilities such as Plummer Park will be allowed to occur with proper social distancing.

Arevalo said there are two issues with allowing 12-step meetings at this time: the pandemic and its effect on recovery services.  He added the programs are important; it is just a matter of working with organizers to ensure that people entering the buildings are educated on safety measures.

“We did hear from one of the recovery facilities that it is going to be doing online, like a Skype-type program for its members,” Arevalo said. “People are being innovative. People are being supportive and we have to be creative. We are trying to be supportive and flexible as we can.”

“We certainly do not want anybody to break their sobriety, but we want to make sure everybody stays healthy across the board,” Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey Horvath said.