Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Consideration of Request by VHV Foundation for Use of Miriam Warne Community Center for a Little Saigon Community Cultural Center.
End
From: Christine Cordon, City Manager
Requested by: Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen
Prepared by*: Christine Cordon, City Manager
*Staff reports prepared by staff on behalf of members of the City Council do not reflect the opinions of staff and are generated in collaboration with the requesting council member(s).
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
Consider the request by VHV Foundation to use the Miriam Warne Community Center for a Little Saigon Community Cultural Center and provide direction to staff.
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BACKGROUND
Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen has received a request (Attachment 1) from VHV Foundation to use the Miriam Warne Community Center as a permanent location for its organization’s headquarters and community activities. This request would include the relocation of the organization’s 4,000-square-foot cultural center from Garden Grove to Westminster.
According to its Articles of Incorporation (Attachment 2), VHV Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) whose specific purpose is to preserve and develop Vietnamese culture. VHV Foundation maintains a Vietnamese cultural center which is currently located at 10872 Westminster Avenue, Suites 214 & 215, Garden Grove, that includes:
• A meeting hall with capacity for approximately 236 people for events and programs;
• A reading library that contains more than 50,000 Vietnamese and English books;
• Artifacts and relics including traditional Vietnamese handicrafts, ancient coins dating back to over 500 years, collections of currency and postage stamps from the former Republic of Vietnam, and rare books believed to be the remaining copies after periods of book destruction throughout Vietnam’s history; and
• Three handwritten manuscripts authored by distinguished Vietnamese historians and scholars.
According to the request, the increasing costs of commercial rent has placed a financial burden on the organization and VHV Foundation is seeking to relocate to Westminster, as Westminster is home to one of the nation’s largest Vietnamese- American communities.
The Miriam Warne Community Center, located at is a 14491 Beach Boulevard, Westminster, is a 4,765-square-foot facility that features two main components: on office area with enclosed offices, a conference room, and a utility/mailroom; and a community/meeting room with an open space and enclosed backroom.
Until 2022, the Miriam Warne Community Center’s front office area was leased to the Westminster Chamber of Commerce. Since then, the office has been unoccupied except for intermittent use by city staff. The community room area is rented throughout the year and the uses include election polling by the Orange County Registrar of Voters, workshops held by the city and other partner agencies, CPR classes, and city staff meetings.
If there is an interest in entering into some sort of arrangement with the VHV Foundation for use of the Miriam Warne Community Center, the City would need to do further factual exploration to determine whether the Surplus Land Act would apply to the transaction. The Surplus Land Act can potentially apply whenever a city sells property, or if it enters into a lease arrangement, which would allow the lease to exceed 15 years, including any potential lease extensions.
Given the proximity of the Miriam Warne Community Center to the Little Saigon area, the cultural benefits of having this type of institution in the city, and its easy access to visitors, Mayor Nguyen would like the City Council to consider the request from VHV Foundation and to provide staff with direction on how to proceed or what options to evaluate. Mayor Nguyen states a long-term partnership with an organization such as VHV Foundation will provide the community a space for Vietnamese cultural enrichment, where generations of visitors can visit and learn about the history of Westminster and the integration of the Vietnamese culture that has impacted the community for over 50 years.
FISCAL IMPACT
None at this time.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
Mayor Nguyen is requesting the City Council consider the request from VHV Foundation and provide direction to staff regarding next steps.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Request
2. VHV Foundation - Articles of Incorporation
3. VHV Foundation - IRS Exemption
4. VHV Foundation - Officers
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager