Harvard-Westlake, a personal preparatory college for grades 7-12 situated in Studio Metropolis, is within the closing phases of acquiring metropolis approval for a controversial campus enlargement proposal.
The proposal, formally referred to as Harvard-Westlake River Park, entails a whole transformation of the 17-acre property at the moment residence to the Weddington Golf & Tennis Membership. It could change current services with new athletics services and a public park, serving each college students and members of the group.
“I actually suppose it’s a win-win,” stated Terry Barnum, director of athletics at Harvard-Westlake.
Plans for River Park embody two athletic fields with bleacher seating, a working monitor, a gymnasium complicated, a swimming pool, eight tennis courts, 6 acres of public park, a strolling path and an underground parking zone. It additionally entails the relandscaping of native timber and quite a few different go-green initiatives to honor the open-air nature of the land.
And whereas the college intends to maintain its established athletic services –the college at the moment has one subject, a gymnasium and a pool – the main want for enlargement stems from the athletic division’s present state of congestion.
With a pupil physique inhabitants of roughly 1,600, it’s no shock the present format doesn’t enable for a lot flexibility. Barnum says the system the college makes use of now requires a rotation, forcing groups to apply late into the night time.
Barnum stated if authorised, the proposal would open the door for Harvard-Westlake to create new groups, equivalent to women lacrosse and women flag soccer, each of which the college at the moment doesn’t have area for.
“Increasing alternatives for all college students, however particularly feminine athletes, is one thing that not solely is essential to me personally, however is without doubt one of the issues that as a division at Harvard-Westlake we’re trying to do … and River Park goes to permit us to try this,” Barnum stated.
Most opposition to the mission comes from neighbors, who’re citing environmental, noise and site visitors issues.
“It is a mission that’s, fairly truthfully, the least intrusive to the neighborhood,” Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Business and Commerce Affiliation, stated. Waldman stated this mission is comparatively low-impact, and different potential usages might’ve been a lot worse, equivalent to constructing industrial or multifamily properties.
Because the Weddington golf course at the moment operates, members pay a month-to-month payment to make use of the services. River Park would enhance public entry as a number of acres of land could be designated open area for public use.
With a view to guarantee public entry and engagement is met, Harvard-Westlake has established a mess of community-wide partnerships. These embody Mates of the Los Angeles River, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, Particular Olympics of Southern California, and Angel Metropolis Sports activities.
“It’s the college’s dedication to share this outstanding facility with schoolchildren from throughout L.A., group teams and native residents,” Richard Commons, president of Harvard-Westlake, stated in an announcement.
Harvard-Westlake first bought the land in 2017 for $40 million, however promised to proceed to function it as a golf course and tennis facility whereas the proposal went via the town planning fee course of. “That was our dedication to the group,” Barnum stated.
Nonetheless, as that fee course of is at the moment underway, these subsequent few weeks can be very telling as to what the longer term state of the park will appear like.
There are two extra public listening to on the horizon – though the dates haven’t but been introduced – in addition to a number of metropolis council conferences. If authorised, Harvard-Westlake would subsequent proceed with the method of acquiring constructing permits in hopes of seeing the event come to fruition.
Originally posted 2023-09-11 07:01:41.