Photos by RPV / Joel Rojas

Marymount College is located at the southeastern portion of the City, immediately south of the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive East and Crest Road situated at 30800 Palos Verdes Drive East. The college property is approximately 25 acres and consists of an developed area located at the northern portion of the property and vacant areas located along the property’s south-facing slope and westerly area. The northern portion of the property consists of the existing campus, which contains buildings, parking lots, paved areas, tennis/basketball courts, a soccer field, and ornamental landscaping. The south-facing slope and westerly area contain no improvements and are seasonally cleared of vegetation.

On July 12, 2000, the City received applications for Conditional Use Permit (CUP) No. 9 - Revision "D," Grading Permit No. 2231, and Variance No. 486 to consider amending the original CUP for proposed improvements to the Marymount College campus. Following preliminary review of the proposed project, the City determined that the preparation of an EIR was necessary for the proposed project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). During the preparation of the project’s EIR, a geotechnical issue surfaced that prompted the applicant to reconsider its proposal. As a result, the College withdrew the original application on June 12, 2003.

On June 12, 2003, on the same day the original application was withdrawn, the College submitted a new application as a placeholder, Zoning Case No. ZON2003-00317 (CUP No. 9 - Revision "E," a Grading Permit, and a Variance Permit). The applicant informed the City that in response to the new geotechnical studies, as well as concerns raised by Staff during the preliminary review phase, the proposed project would be revised. Detailed plans were submitted on November 18, 2004 which were deemed incomplete on December 17, 2004. On May 25, 2005, new plans were submitted to the City. On August 21, 2005, the City deemed the project application complete. As such, the City has initiated the review process for the project application.

The key components of the proposed project are as follows:

• Two interconnected student residence halls (each two stories and consisting a total of 128 rooms), with 59,164 square feet of area (includes 660 sq. ft. gallery);
• A two-story 33,243 square foot athletic facility;
• A one-story 26,710 square foot library;
• A one-story 1,975 square foot maintenance building;
• A one-story 1,869 square foot art studio addition to the auditorium building;
• A two-story 7,455 square foot faculty/academic building addition to an existing faculty building;
• A two-story 3,492 square foot bookstore/faculty dining addition to the existing Student Union building;
• A one-story 2,100 square foot admission office addition to the existing administration building; and
• The reconfiguration and reconstruction of the entry drive and 463 parking spaces, including 391 full-size and 72 compact spaces.
• The relocation of the four (4) tennis courts and the athletic field from the eastern side of the campus to the western side of the campus;
• The demolition of approximately 18,022 square feet of existing buildings (maintenance/photo lab, bookstore/health center, art studio, library and preschool)
• Approximately 102,000 cubic yards of associated grading, balanced on-site, consisting of 51,000 cubic yards of cut and 51,000 cubic yards of fill (revised October 2006)

On October 30, 2006, the College submitted a request to modify the project’s proposed construction schedule included in the original application. The College is requesting that the City, in its consideration of the proposed project, also consider allowing the project to be constructed in three phases over a period of eight years. The proposed phasing modification will be included in the analysis of the project EIR.

Similar to the original project, the City determined that the new project requires the preparation of an EIR and a consulting firm was selected to prepare the necessary EIR. The "Initial Study" and "Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft EIR" for the project have been completed and are available by clicking on the links noted above. Public scoping meetings were held on December 13, 2005 and January 10, 2006 (during the public comment period for the NOP/IS) by the Planning Commission and Traffic Safety Commission to receive comments on the issues that should be addressed in the EIR. The 57-day public comment period on the NOP/IS ended on January 13, 2006. On January 31, 2006, a pre-screening workshop on the project was held by the City Council and Planning Commission. The purpose of the workshop was to have a non-binding discussion between the applicant and City decision makers regarding the issues that will likely come up as part of the formal application review process.

The Draft Environmental Impact Report will be available to the public on Wednesday, October 24, 2007.  To view the document on the City’s website click here.  The document can also be viewed at the following locations within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes:

• City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA  90275
• Palos Verdes Peninsula Library, Miraleste Branch, 29089 Palos Verdes Drive East, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA  90275
• Palos Verdes Palos Verdes Main Library, 650 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
• Fred Hesse Park Community Building, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Hard copies and/or electronic copies of the document can be purchased at the Planning Department at City Hall.

Public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report may be submitted to the City between Wednesday, October 24, 2007 and Friday, January 4, 2008 (no later than 4:30 p.m.) for a total public comment period of 72-days.  Written comments should be mailed directly to the Planning Department at City Hall (30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275) attention Ara Mihranian, Project Manager.  Public comments may also be sent via fax to 310-544-5293 or via email to aram@rpv.com.

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes will receive public comments regarding the Draft EIR at a regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 7:00 PM at Fred Hesse Park Community Building located at 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes.  To view the Planning Commission Staff Report for the November 27, 2007 meeting click here.  The City’s Traffic Safety Commission will also receive public comments on project related traffic issues, as discussed in the Draft EIR, at a meeting on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at Fred Hesse Park Community Building located at 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes.  To view the Traffic Safety Commission Staff Report for the December 10, 2007 meeting click here.  Following the Draft EIR’s public review period, the Final EIR including Response to Comments will be prepared and notice will be provided for an additional Planning Commission meeting where certification of the Final EIR will be considered.

In order to provide the City’s decision makers, City Staff and the public a “real life” depiction of the major key components of the proposed project, the College has voluntarily agreed to construct a project silhouette for the proposed Athletic Facility, Library and Residence Hall buildings.  The project silhouette will only be made available for viewing purposes during the College’s winter break, between December 20, 2007 and January 25, 2008, to minimize the disruption to the daily operation of the College and minimize potential safety concerns.  Furthermore, because of the mere size of the project silhouette, Staff and the College have agreed not to flag the entire three buildings, but rather the critical points and corners of the proposed buildings, such as the highest roof ridgelines. Click here to view the silhouette site plan that identifies the post corners and the flags for the project silhouette.  The Planning Commission will conduct an adjourned on-site meeting on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to explain and view the silhouettes. The public is invited to attend this on-site meeting and should meet at Chapel Circle promptly at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 19, 2008.  To view the Planning Commission Staff Report Click Here  Members of the public wishing to view the project silhouette on a different date than the on-site City Staff meeting are requested to contact Shaida Kafe-ee with Marymount College at 310-303-7220 or via email at SKafe-ee@marymountpv.edu to schedule an appointment prior to visiting the Campus.

The City’s project planner overseeing the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project is Principal Planner, Ara Mihranian. He may be contacted at (310) 544-5228 or via email at aram@rpv.com.. The project manager for Marymount College is Michael Laughlin, who may be contacted at (310) 954-3700.

If you would like to be placed on an "interested parties" list to receive any future public hearing notices related to the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project via e-mail, you may subscribe by joining the list server group here.