Photos by RPV / Joel Rojas

INITIATIVE MEASURE FOR THE NOVEMBER 2010 BALLOT SUBMITTED BY MARYMOUNT COLLEGE

On March 2, 2010, representatives from Marymount College submitted a proposed initiative measure to the City and requested that the City Attorney prepare a title and summary of the proposed measure, in accordance with the State Elections Code.  The title and summary that is prepared by the City Attorney will be placed on the petitions that Marymount College intends to circulate within the City.  If sufficient signatures are collected from registered City voters within the time allowed, Marymount College intends that the measure would be placed on the November 2010 election ballot. 

To briefly summarize, the purpose of the Measure would be to amend the City’s General Plan and Zoning Code to create a new specific plan district that will apply only to Marymount College's property.  The Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition that was filed with the City states in relevant part that the proposed initiative measure: "proposes legislation to adopt a General Plan amendment and enact an ordinance governing the enhancement and modernization of college campus land."  If approved by the voters, "the proposed ordinance does not increase the existing student enrollment cap for the campus.  The proposed ordinance will allow on-campus student housing for 250 students and will provide: modern educational and athletic facilities that will be available to Rancho Palos Verdes residents.  It will also include a state of the art library open to the community."  

Click here to view the full text of the Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition and the proposed Initiative Measure

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

The City Council will conduct the continued public hearing (continued from September 12, 2009) on the appeal of the Planning Commission's decision and the related environmental documents (including the Final Appendix D to the EIR) on the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project. The public hearing will begin at 6pm (Note the time change) at Hesse Park Community Room.  

FEBRUARY 16, 2010 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes will receive public comments solely on the new Draft Appendix D to the Final EIR at a regularly scheduled City Council meeting on February 16, 2010 at 7:00 PM at Fred Hesse Park Community Building located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Click here to view the February 16, 2010 City Council Staff Report 

Click here to view late correspondence submitted at the February 16th meeting

NOTICE OF AVAILABLITY OF APPENDIX D TO THE FINAL EIR

Pursuant to the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes has prepared and completed a Draft Appendix D to the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Marymount College Facilities Expansion project.  Appendix D to the EIR is an informational document that evaluates the proposed Bachelor of Arts Degree Program and the two Athletic Field Alternatives (D-1 and D-2) potential impacts to the environment and identifies ways to reduce or avoid environmental impacts through mitigation measures. 

The City Council will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 7:00 PM at Fred Hesse Park Community Building located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes to receive oral comments on the Draft Appendix.   Written comments on Appendix D may be submitted to the Planning Department (Attention: Ara Mihranian, Principal Planner) by Monday, March 8, 2010 (45-day comment period).  The City is only seeking comments on Appendix D.

RBF ADDENDUM NO. 6

Click here to view the November 4, 2009 City Council Staff Report (with Attachments) for RBF’s Addendum No. 6.  This Addendum covers the scope of work, cost proposal and timeline for the preparation of the environmental analysis on the proposed project revisions.
 

THE CITY COUNCIL CONTINUED THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE APPEAL OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION’S APPROVAL OF THE MARYMOUNT COLLEGE FACILITIES EXPANSION PROJECT TO SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2009 AT 9:00 A.M.  THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE PENINSULA MONTESSORI SCHOOL AT THE GOLDEN COVE SHOPPING CENTER LOCATED AT 31100 HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2009 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

The City Council will conduct the continued public hearing (continued from August 18th) at the Peninsula Montessori School located at the Golden Cove Shopping Center at 31100 Hawthorne Blvd.  The meeting will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. 

AUGUST 18, 2009 CITY COUNCIL APPEAL PUBLIC HEARING

On August 18, 2009, the City Council will conduct a public hearing on the appeal of the Planning Commission's decision on the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project. The public hearing will begin at 7pm at Hesse Park Community Room.

CCC/ME APPEALS THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S DECISION

On July 24, 2009, an appeal of the Planning Commission's decision on the Marymount College Facilities Expansion project was filed by Chatten-Brown & Carstens, on behalf of the CCC/ME. The appeal will be considered by the City Council on August 18, 2009.

JULY 14, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION DECISION

On July 14, 2009, the Planning Commission approved, with conditions, the Marymount College Facilities Expansion project, with the exception of the Residence Halls.

The following documents were adopted by the Planning Commission (signed copies of the following resolutions are not posted on the website but can be viewed at City Hall):

The Planning Commission’s decision can be appealed to the City Council as described in the following section.

APPEAL PROCESS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION’S DECISION

At its July 14, 2009 meeting, the Planning Commission approved, with conditions, the Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project that was revised at June 23, 2009 meeting and excludes the Residence Halls.  Pursuant to the following criteria, the Planning Commission’s decision on the proposed project is appealable to the City Council:

Certification of an EIR may be appealed in writing within ten (10) [calendar] days after approval of the project for which the EIR was prepared.  The appeal will be considered by the same body that considers an appeal of the decision on the project for which the EIR is prepared. 

Any interested person may file an appeal of a Planning Commission’s decision to the City Council; provided, the appeal is filed in writing within fifteen (15) calendar days after final action by the Planning Commission and the appropriate fee, as established by Resolution of the City Council, is paid. The appeal shall set forth the grounds for appeal and any specific action being requested by the appellant. The Planning Commission’s decision is final if no appeal is filed within fifteen (15) calendar days.

The Commission’s adoption of the Planning Entitlement Resolution at its July 14, 2009 meeting constitutes the Commission’s final action on the project.  As such, the clock for filing an appeal begins on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 (Day 1).   Based on the above information, any interested party who wishes to appeal the Commission’s decision to the City Council must follow the following timelines:

An appeal must be filed to the City’s Planning Department with a letter stating the name(s) and contact information of the appellant(s) along with a detailed written statement of the grounds of the appeal.  Additionally, pursuant to the City Council’s adopted fee schedule, each appeal must include a filing fee of $2,255.00 at the time the appeal is filed.  However, if an interested party wishes to appeal both the EIR certification and the planning entitlements, the payment of only one appeal fee will be necessary.  In the event multiple appeals are filed by more than one interested party, these appeals will be packaged and presented to the City Council in a single Staff Report.  Lastly, pursuant to Section 17.80.070.F, an appeal hearing at the City Council level is considered a De Novo hearing and the City Council is not limited to consideration of the materials presented to the Planning Commission.  Any matter or evidence relating to the action on the application, regardless of the specific issue appealed, may be reviewed by the City Council at the appeal hearing.  If an appeal is filed, the earliest date of the appeal hearing before the City Council will be at its August 18, 2009 meeting.  The date of the City Council appeal hearing will be formally noticed pursuant to the City’s Municipal Code.     

JULY 14, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

At its June 23rd meeting, the Planning Commission adopted P.C. Resolution No. 2009-27 certifying the project EIR (the final Resolution will be posted after July 14, 2009), closed the public hearing, and directed Staff to bring back the Resolution for the planning entitlements as a consent calendar item at its July 14, 2009 meeting.   The link below is to the July 14th Planning Commission Staff Report that includes as an attachment the planning entitlement resolution, the conditions of approval (Exhibit A), and mitigation measures (Exhibit B).  The July 14th meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Hesse Park Community Room.

Click here to view the July 14, 2009 Planning Commission Staff Report
Click here to view the late correspondence provided to the Commission at the July 14th meeting (including comments letters submitted at the meeting).

JUNE 23, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

The Planning Commission will conduct a continued public hearing on June 23, 2009 at Hesse Park Community Room at 7:00 p.m. This matter was continued from the June 9th meeting without discussion due to the lack of a quorum (see link below under June 9, 2009 Planning Commission Meeting heading).  At this June 23rd meeting, the Commission will review the findings for the requested remedial grading permit and review (for adoption) the resolutions certifying the project EIR and the planning applications for the revised project accepted by the Commission at its May 26th meeting.

JUNE 9, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

The Planning Commission will conduct a continued public hearing on June 9, 2009 at Hesse Park Community Room at 7:00 p.m. At this meeting, the Commission will review the findings for the requested remedial grading permit and review (for adoption) the resolutions certifying the project EIR and the planning applications for the revised project accepted by the Commission at its May 26th meeting.

Click here to view the June 9, 2009 Planning Commission Staff Report
Click here  to view the late correspondence provided to the Commission at the June 9th meeting (including comments letters submitted at the meeting).

MAY 26, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

Click here to view the May 26, 2009 Planning Commission Staff Report
Click here to view the May 22nd Planning Commission Memorandum that references the following documents:

Click here to view the late correspondence provided to the Commission at the May 26th meeting (including comments letters submitted at the meeting).

At its April 14th meeting, the Commission directed that the project be revised to eliminate the residence halls, modify the athletic building, and modify the lower tier of the eastern parking lot.  Additionally, the Commission directed Staff to prepare the appropriate resolutions, conditions of approval, and Appendix A to the Final EIR for consideration at its May 26th meeting with the delivery of said documents by May 12th. 

In light of the amount of time needed to complete these documents, at this time, only the Draft Conditions of Approval are available (see below).  Staff estimates the delivery of the remaining items to be as follows:   

APRIL 14, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, the Planning Commission will conduct a continued public hearing from the March 31st meeting.  The April 14th meeting will focus on items relating to the requested planning applications (CUP Revision E, Variance Permit, Grading Permit, etc.) not addressed by the Planning Commission at its December 9, 2008 and January 27, 2009 meetings.

MARCH 31, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing that was continued from the March 10th meeting.  The March 31st meeting covered the Staff/RBF Response Table to the questions on the Final EIR and included a presentation and review of the Traffic and Circulation analysis conducted for the project EIR.

JANUARY 27, 2009 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing that was continued from December 9, 2008.   At its January 27th meeting, the Commission was asked to review a draft table of questions and comments on the Draft EIR raised at the December 9th meeting.

JANUARY 5, 2009 TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING

On January 5, 2009, the Traffic Safety Commission conducted a public hearing at Hesse Park Community Room to review the project related Traffic and Circulation as studied in the project EIR.

Click here to view the January 5th, 2009 Traffic Safety Commission Safety Staff Report

DECEMBER 9, 2008 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

On Tuesday, December 9, 2008, the Planning Commission conducted a continued public hearing on the requested planning entitlement, specifically the Conditional Use Permit.

Click here to view the December 9, 2008 Planning Commission Staff Report

Click here to view the Conditional Use Permit Findings of Fact Summary Table (December 9, 2008)

OCTOBER 28, 2008 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

On Tuesday, October 28, 2008, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing to review the Final EIR.  A presentation on the Final EIR was given by the environmental consultant, RBF, at this meeting.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 Planning Commission Meeting

On Tuesday, September 9, 2008, the Planning Commission conducted its first hearing on the College’s requested planning applications.

Click here to view the September 9, 2008 Planning Commission Staff Report
Click here to view the late correspondence presented to the Commission at its September 9th meeting

PROJECT BACKGROUND

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 proposed improvements to the Marymount College campus. 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 and 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:

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.

INITIAL STUDY

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 below. 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.

 DRAFT EIR

The Draft Environmental Impact Report was made available to the public on Wednesday, October 24, 2007.  Hard copies and/or electronic copies of the document can be purchased at the Planning Department at City Hall.   To view the document on the City’s web site click here.  The document can also be viewed at the following locations:

The Draft Environmental Impact Report was circulated for public review between October 24, 2007 and January 4, 2008.  In addition, public comments were received at the November 27, 2007 regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting.  To view the Planning Commission Staff Report for the November 27, 2007 meeting click here. The City’s Traffic Safety Commission received public comments on project related traffic issues on December 10, 2007.  To view the Traffic Safety Commission Staff Report for the December 10, 2007 meeting click here.

FINAL EIR

The Final EIR, which includes Responses to Comments on the Draft EIR has been completed and is now available to the public.  Click here to view the Final EIR.  Hard copies and/or electronic copies of the document can be purchased at the Planning Department at City Hall.   The document can also be viewed at the locations listed above.   The City’s Planning Commission will conduct a continued public hearing on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 7 pm to review the Final EIR and receive any public comments on the document.  The Commission will not be approving or certifying the Final EIR on October 28 and so there will be additional opportunity for public comments to the Planning Commission on the Final EIR beyond the October 28 hearing.     

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.