Hundreds Mixed on Harvard-Westlake's Parking Needs, Enrollment During Hearing

One side of the controversial Harvard-Westlake School expansion plan showed up to an intense community meeting Thursday night donning the school colors and "We Support H-W" pins, while the project's opponents sported "Save Coldwater Canyon" pins and attire. More than 250 people filled multipurpose room 9 in CBS Studios to listen about the project and be heard.

Coming away from an evenly divided discussion hosted by the Studio City Neighborhood Council, several questions remain as Harvard-Westlake School moves forward with its proposal to city planning to build a multi-use, three-story parking garage with an athletic field on its roof, including a connecting pedestrian walkway, spanning Coldwater Canyon Avenue.

A neighborhood council, with most members critical of the project's scale, will reconvene Dec. 11 for a vote.

Among the concerns are whether there is actually historical parking issue along that portion Coldwater Canyon to justify the project's scale and claim to benefit its neighbors once completed and whether the school did or did not violate its current conditional use permit capping students and faculty.

The coming weeks will show if the opponent's concerns are accurate to counter what's presented in the draft environmental impact report, and if so, does Harvard-Westlake scale down the plan and work more closely with the community, similar to what other private schools in Los Angeles have done when proposing large infrastructure projects?

Studio City, Sherman Oaks and other Valley residents need to look no further than nearby Buckley School, which was credited throughout the meeting for working with the community on its recent large project to build math and science buildings. On the Westside, private schools such as Archer in Brentwood, and Pali High, a charter high school in Pacific Palisades, have recently made headlines for reaching out to its neighbors to confront major infrastructure and quality of life issues.

"It's clear this is an emotional issue," said John Walker, neighborhood council president. "There are still four or five very serious hearings before a shovel goes into the ground."

The only other documented outreach to the community by Harvard-Westlake School about its project was to the neighborhood council's Land Use Committee earlier this year.

Harvard-Westlake School makes its pitch

The school's vice president, John Amato, and its attorney for the project, Paul Hastings, gave a 40-minute presentation to start Thursday's meeting, both reiterating the project's main objective is to improve traffic along Coldwater Canyon Avenue.

"It will flow better after the project is built than today, better than the DWP enhancements," Hastings said, highlighting the new southbound right turn lane, a new northbound dedicated left-hand turn lane and two driveways to enter and exit from the, three-story, 750-space parking structure.

Construction will take 24 months, if approved, and a zone change is required (RE15 to RE40). Students will be relocated during the work happening when school's in session.

Neighbors and school proponents both agreed that parking the school buses on Coldwater Canyon needs to end, and Hastings said they planned that relocation as well.

Hastings said they are requesting the Los Angeles Planning Commission to set height requirements on the structure. The EIR concluded the Harvard-Westlake's proposal has no significant environmental or operational impacts, except for unavoidable construction noise impacts, Hastings said.

"Approximately 60 percent of the property is located in desirable open space," he said. "If it was not open space, we would not be permitted for the project."

Hastings went further with several slides of a myth versus fact to debunk "so much misinformation in the community about the project."

Of note, he said they cannot build a smaller parking structure due to the school's increased parking needs, cannot bring more students into the campus since it's not part of the proposal and increased traffic will not be created once completed since the proposal is only for "existing operations."

Also, Hastings said the EIR concludes there is no light or glare impact, stormwater run-off will not be exacerbated and the trees they are removing from the open space are already infected or dead.

"They can't be cured," he said.

Large retaining walls are proposed to be built on the hillside west of Coldwater Canyon Avenue, and the Department of Forestry determined the school's proposal does not destroy native habitats. 

One of the first residents to speak, Denise Elliot, said she's lived in the community for 13 years and echoed that Harvard-Westlake's project has "several traffic improvements" that will help the surrounding neighbors. 

"This project offers benefits to students and faculty," said Bruce Pompan, school parent. "The current site is a dump and used by DWP. This project will enhance Coldwater and the community."

Many parents said the current parking and athletic fields at Harvard-Westlake School do not meet current demands. 

"The current situation is an accident waiting to happen," said James Chapman.

Sherman Oaks resident John McManus said he works in Beverly Hills uses Coldwater Canyon every day. He touted the project's new lanes will improve traffic flow on the school's money, not the city's.

St. Michael's Episcopal Church, stakeholders and activists show loud concerns