San Pedro is heading toward a tense neighborhood town hall next month as residents and city officials hash out a proposal to turn the former Little Sisters of the Poor home into a large residential substance use recovery facility. The meeting follows a change in ownership and a brief, surprise move-in by recovery residents that rattled nearby neighborhoods.
Councilmember Tim McOsker has set a town hall for 6 to 7:30 p.m. on April 14 at Peck Park Community Center to discuss converting the old Little Sisters building at 2100 S. Western Ave into a residential recovery center, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. The complex includes a roughly 150,000 square foot main building and a smaller retreat house, and historically housed about 100 residents before it closed in February 2020. Documents shared with neighbors state that the site was sold in June 2024 and that a lessee briefly moved in about 70 recovery residents who were later evicted.
Fred Brown's pitch and track record
Fred Brown's Recovery Services, the San Pedro nonprofit behind the proposal, says the program would provide residential, 12-step-based treatment with counseling, group therapy, and aftercare, and would operate under state licensing and Medi-Cal participation. On its website, Fred Brown Recovery Services notes that it has been serving L.A. County since 1983 and lists county and private partners that support its work. The group presents itself as a long-standing local provider with deep roots in the area.
Council and neighbors raise land use concerns
McOsker has said he does not currently support the plan and has raised questions about land use controls and whether firm safeguards can be written to keep a facility from locating too close to schools or daycare centers. Neighbors and community groups have pushed back, pointing to last summer’s brief move in and calling for clear limits on capacity, oversight, and neighborhood impact. The nonprofit has said it will address those issues at the meeting, as reported by the Los Angeles Daily News.
Town hall logistics
The meeting will take place at Peck Park Community Center, 560 North Western Ave., a city recreation facility that regularly hosts community events and public hearings. The city's facility page for Peck Park Community Center lists the address, contact information, and general access details for the site. The center is in Council District 15 and will serve as the venue where council staff, the nonprofit, and residents trade questions and comments.
What comes next
The April 14 town hall will be an early test of whether the nonprofit, neighbors, and the council can find common ground on oversight, capacity, and siting. If the proposal moves forward, it would still need to clear land use reviews and state licensing steps. Residents will be watching closely to see whether the meeting produces specific conditions or compromises that could shape those next stages.
