There is also a brand new Web site also dedicated to Marymount's plan.
The female voice on the commercial claims that Marymount's plan will not cost taxpayers any money. Well, if the proposed measure qualifies to be part of the ballot, R.P.V. taxpayers will be on the hook for that portion of the ballot and voting for that initiative.
Since Marymount College is tax exempt, R.P.V. taxpayers continue to fund costs related to public access to the campus, and other infrastructure costs like sewer lines and other utility necessities.
The voice also claimed that traffic will improve because there would be more on-campus parking.
That really doesn't matter when students, faculty, and other continue to park on public streets and even in a residential neighborhood because they just don't like parking on the school's campus.
In fact, when the College experienced its largest student and faculty counts, there was never a day when every parking place on-campus was taken.
Oh, and the proposed measure seeks to remove the minimum number of parking spaces mandated by municipal code which Marymount College NEVER anticipates to meet, even with all of the improvements to the campus they want.
And now about the residents halls that are and have been the main issue for the College.
The two buildings already have been given names. The names of the halls are probably the result of wealthy benefactors making large contributions.
128 rooms for 250 students and five administrators that will sit on land that will have to be worked on because of its slope and geological makeup.
Supporters claim that traffic will be less because of dorms, but they cannot explain why 40% of the 1,561 vehicle trips PER WEEKDAY will be along Western Avenue between Trudie Drive and Palos Verdes Drive North, MILES away from the actual campus, WITH the completed project.
Another 25% of the 1,561 vehicle trips will cross the intersection of Western Avenue and 9th Street and continue into San Pedro.
Now, supporters of Marymount's plan contend that "the plan" will take 36 months to accomplish, if the measure passes.
Then, during the 10 years that the plan has been undergoing reviews, the administration stated that "the plan" will take 8 years to complete and they even offered a timeline to back that up.
Marymount College failed at one time.
Marymount College's programs were placed on academic probation, at one point.
As many as 77% of former students who offered an opinion if they would choose to attend the school again or recommend it to others stated NO!
Supporters won't tell you that the main reason they seek on-campus housing it to attract students who do not necessarily come from the local community or even the State of California.
To put it more bluntly, wealthy parents want to send their kids to a campus where the administration (and the members of the community) offer observation of the students and those parents want better monitoring of their kids' activities.
Marymount Supporters want R.P.V. residents to become part of a larger 'student-sitting' group that will help control the students living so far from home.
And to be even more blunt. Marymount really want to have foreign students come and study there, along with the dollars the parents would be willing to spend on the hope that others will assist in the parenting for their kids.
As a Junior College, a years tuition, with boarding at one of the two off-campus student housing sites cost up to $37,000 and more. That is for costs associated to working towards an associate of arts degree.
Now the College has been granted the opportunity to offer three different Bachelor's degrees and become a four-year institution.
This was also done, many believe, so that on-campus housing would have a better shot at finding approval or even something like a court order to provide.
What could happen is that, if the proposed measure qualifies for the ballot and the measure passes, the College may not be able to finance the entire project and they just might build residents halls before some of the other improvements which would have more public uses.
Since the proposed measure seeks to allow for Specific Plan zoning, Marymount would have control over many matters which would have been decided by city government with oversight that now may not happen.
Please do not sign the petition.
The one idea that keeps floating around is the concept that Marymount College could and would find great success and be able to offer many more seats and on-campus housing if it were to have a land swap with those who own the Ponte Vista at San Pedro site, in San Pedro.
Yes, traffic really would be impacted on Western if that were to happen, but it would be much less of an impact having Marymount at the site rather than hundreds of condos.
I support the idea of a land swap even though it is impossible at this time.
I also support Marymount becoming a four-year institution as long as there is no on-campus housing at their Palos Verdes Drive East site.
Please always remember that Rancho Palos Verdes already has a College with on-campus housing for students and it is the only one of the five cities that sit on the peninsula that can claim that.
Please do not sign the petition.
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