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Finding enough available land to build a Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center is one of the key challenges in a largely urban, concrete cluster of cities and counties with a density of 14 million people.
After much analysis, the division selected Long Beach as their proposed site. The Army currently owns 4.62 acres there; plans were already in the works to improve and develop the facility over the next 10 years.
Concurrently, divisional headquarters project coordinator John Horne has been working with the City of Long Beach to obtain a larger portion of land; after some 10 months of discussion, almost 20 acres have been identified which will largely be donated to the Army. Long Beach Corps Officer Major Glen Madsen has identified a corporate sponsor who will complete the purchase and donation of whatever property is needed to complete the parcel.
Because the impact of a Kroc Center affects the whole division, the system of teams and input is multi-disciplinary. Community input, feasibility studies, discussions with architects and planners, and the technical assistance of THQ in the land acquisition process are part of the development.
Key values for this center include: it is to be a safe and comfortable place for people of all ages in the community, that there are enough community interface opportunities through the corps and other services to bring people into the ministry sphere of The Salvation Army, and that income is generated by the center with good partnerships and service oriented retail space.
