Planning Commission Meeting Regarding Marymount's Expansion

The Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission will continue to take oral comments concerning the Marymount College Expansion Project at is meeting scheduled for Tuesday January 27, 2009, beginning at 7:00 PM, inside the City Council Chambers at Hesse Park.

You are also encouraged to contribute written comments to the Planning Commission and you may do that via Email, using the Marymount College Expansion Project in the subject line and sending the Email to: aram@rpv.com That address is for Mr. Ara Mihranian, the city's manager for the project.

The Expansion Project's most controversial aspect is the proposition of placing 128-on campus dormitory rooms to house 250 students and 5 faculty advisers.

I will posting this notice on three of my blogs and providing some different comments on each blog, depending on the blog.

For eastern Rancho Palos Verdes, adding over 1,500 vehicle trips every weekday the college is in session, with about 65% of the added trips going through portions of eastern R.P.V. begins to make it a slam dunk in my opinion, that the Expansion Project must be critically questioned.

40% of the added vehicle trips will turn at Crestwood Street and Western Avenue and head along Western Avenue.

It is my opinion that the college wants on-campus housing as a marketing tool that will suggest to parents of prospective students the college administration will have more control over the students' out of class living and doings.

Our friends living around the Pacific Heights off-campus housing near 24Th and Cabrillo, in San Pedro, would be more than grateful to have the students gone from that area and the building sold by the college.

Should residents and drivers in the eastern R.P.V. area be subjected to becoming caretakers and student-sitters of students attending a private college? I think not!

The education currently provided at Marymount College is very good and so much better than practically every other 2-year college in the greater L.A. area. But that fact does not mean we have to put up with young drivers on our streets when so many of us feel it is unnecessary, dangerous, and will do nothing positive for our neighborhoods and our residents.

It is my opinion that if some expansion is authorized at Marymount, it does NOT include any on-campus housing or making it a 24-hour a day site.