May 7, 2013

The first Public Hearing at the December 18, 2012 meeting of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council dealt with an extension of the time period of Phase One of The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project.

Here are my comments regarding that hearing:

Mr. Don Davis, the land use attorney for Marymount College was asked specifically by Mayor Pro Tem Jerry Duhovic, just what Marymount officials were asking for, as far as Phase One goes.

Mr. Davis responded that is was quite simple: get the permanent parking lot done and work on the new athletic field.

What Mr. Davis did not positively respond to was the other elements of Phase One, including the grading required for elements of Phase One AND the other two Phases.

When asked whether the grading approved for in Phase One would be required to provide elements of Phases Two and Three, the response from staff was that should that grading not take place within Phase One, none of the subsequent Phases would be able to go forward.

I took these sets of comments to indicate that Marymount officials have no interest in building any other elements of what is now in Phases One, Two and Three. Essentially to me, Mr. Davis stated last night that for all intense and purposes The Project would die after the parking lot and field are approved and completed.

However, the new field is not really part of any Phase as its elements contain new grading requirements, the elimination of the 'new' tennis courts and the placement of the edge of the field in an area where two members of this current council deemed was too close to Palos Verdes Drive East.

In written and oral communications from Marymount College officials, they intend on seeking changes in the Conditional Use Permit such that "1,200 Students" would be allowed to attend the Rancho Palos Verdes campus.

The day Marymount officials place files into our city requesting an increase in the number of students, faculty and staff at Marymount's main campus, whatever permanent parking lot, under construction or complete, will instantly become obsolete because 463 permanent parking spaces is not enough for a campus having "1,200 Students" and everybody knows that.

So, Marymount is now intending on building a permanent parking lot that would not have enough parking spaces for an enlarged student population and they continue to seek approval for an athletic field that is outside the scope and verbiage contained within The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project.

Once permits are issued for any construction on Marymount's campus, Marymount officials will have the legal right to complete the permitted construction regardless of the status of any time period of The Project, extension or not.

While Mr. Davis and others may claim they could be ready to seek permits to build their concept of the athletic field, it is more than quite doubtful that the field would be completed by September 30, 2013, the date all extensions of Phase One must be completed, according to CURRENT municipal code.

As far as truly working on the permanent parking lot, Mr. Davis also acknowledged that Marymount officials must secure the bonding issues and Mr. Davis did not acknowledge whether there are enough funds for that, at this time.

As far as the Army Corp of Engineers approvals to begin the parking lot element, they are in order and complete according to both Mr. Davis and City Staff members.

Mr. Davis also acknowledged that the permanent parking lot might not be completed by March 19, 2013 and that may have provided reasoning to some City Council members to set the Extension out to May 7, 2013.

Here is what I got out of the December 18, 2012 City Council meeting:

1. A permanent parking lot at Marymount College must be completed before any more construction will be done at the main campus.

2. Once the permits are issued to construct the lot, Marymount officials have the legal right to complete that element, whether The Project continues or ends, for any reason.

3. Mr. Davis acknowledged that college officials will seek to get approval for their new field within the guidelines of an amended Project's Conditional Use Permit, even though there is no language within the existing project (except for the recently introduced Revision) that would allow for their new field.

4. The City Council, by unanymous vote, extended the period  for completion of ALL elements of Phase One of The Project out till May 7, 2013 even though Mr. Davis stated that Marymount officials will only deal with two elements contained within Phase One.

5. With the history of Marymount officials' dealings with The Project, it is more than highly doubtful that any permits to build their new concept for the field could be processed prior to September 30, 2013.

6. As I commented last night, it remains my belief that Marymount officials be allowed the ability to request items on an element by element basis without Phasing restrictions and that those officials be allowed to set the time periods of the elements they will seek.

The City Council laid the groundwork to reject any further extension of The Marymount College Facilities Project and that is what I was generally asking for, in the first place.