What I Do Support

While many of us are dealing with the potential ballot measure being supported by Marymount's faculty, staff, administration, and other, I would like to state what I support.

It just happens to be what those folks supported when the Planning Commission certified the Environmental Impact Report.

I support the findings of the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning Commission and their efforts to provide the best set of guidelines for Marymount College.

I do not support the Appeal filed by Concerned Citizens Coalition/Marymount Expansion (CCC/ME) and I hope the City Council votes to approve plans sent to them by the Planning Commission and Planning Department.

I would consider having the tennis courts on the west side of the soccer field to be the better of the alternatives found in Appendix D of the Environmental Impact Report.

What is basically different with the plans I approve of and what Marymount wants is that there would be no on-campus housing and Marymount would have to be granted a variance to the municipal code regarding the number of parking spaces on the campus.

I would be even happier if the City Council found a way to mandate that Marymount meets minimum parking space requirements that it is currently attempting to override with their proposed ballot measure.

Do I truly feel Marymount can survive without on-campus housing? to be perfectly honest, no.

But that is not my call, as Dr. Brophy, the President of the College reminded me.

That call would be his and his supporters. It would not be the call of any member of CCC/ME or any member of our City Council, staff, or most of our city's residents.

Marymount supporters chose these routes to get to this point. The administration and planners of the expansion were the ones who provided the longest delays in their plans, and no one else.

I feel if the plans worked on so hard and for so long by our city's Planning Department and Planning Commission were not changed so many times by folks representing Marymount, some of the construction would have begun some time ago.

Marymount now seeks to go around the years of hard work everyone has done so far. There is a plan approved of by the Planning Commission and is now in the hands of the members of the City Council.

I continue to hope that there are not enough signatures gathered to have the measure placed on the November ballot so our city and all of our residents can be represented like they voted on when they voted for those who would govern us.

I may not have supported all the current members of the City Council in the past, but I do know all of them cherish Rancho Palos Verdes and seek to do what is best for ALL of our residents, not just the minority of them who might sign the petition.

Let the process move forward and respect all voters by allowing the City Council to do the job we elected them to do.

Please don't sign the petition.