LA City Council OKs Harvard-Westlake sports complex

LOS ANGELES - The City Council Tuesday approved a much-debated sports complex in Studio City that has raised concerns from residents and divided the community.

Council members voted unanimously to deny an appeal and allow Harvard-Westlake, a private school, to move forward with its plans to demolish the Weddington Golf & Tennis facilities at 4141 Whitsett Ave., which it purchased in 2017, to develop an athletic and recreational facility on 17.2 acres. The project is less than a mile from Harvard-Westlake's upper school campus.

"We are here today after a long fraught and frustrating process," Councilwoman Nithya Raman said prior to the vote, who represents the 4th District, which includes Studio City in the San Fernando Valley.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Studio City residents protest plan to convert golf course into athletic complex

The councilwoman said she and her staff spent countless hours engaging with stakeholders to try and address constituent concerns about the project, such as increasing public access to green spaces, improving pedestrian safety, reducing the size and frequency of events, reducing construction noise and more.

"Through our advocacy we have been able to secure a package of recreational benefits for the community," Raman said. "These wins for the community were hard fought."

Raman added, "My team and I have done our best to honor the connection, and to push the project in a direction that serves both the community and the school."

Council President Paul Krekorian backed Raman and the project. The councilman noted he has 15 years of background regarding this site.

"I understand how valuable and important this golf course is to the community," he said prior to the vote. "But the status quo simply cannot continue."

Krekorian said the current condition of the site as a golf course cannot be kept, and the city is not in a position to be able to acquire it. He added, "So, the proposal that's before us is the best community serving use that has come forward for this property in well more than the decade and a half that I've been involved with it."

The project will replace the existing par-3 golf course, driving range and tennis courts with two soccer fields, a running track, a pool, gymnasium and eight tennis courts.

Nearly six acres of River Park would be set aside for public use, including a picnic area, a walking path, cafe and putting green. The public would have daily access to the tennis courts as well as all other facilities when not in use by the school, Harvard-Westlake officials said.

It also includes various environmentally friendly elements, such as a storm water capture system, solar power, additional trees, native landscaping and preserving some of the land as "open space."

"We are pleased by the City Council's unanimous vote to approve the Harvard-Westlake River Park," Rick Common, president of the school, said in a statement. "We thank all of our supporters who took the time to speak in support of our plans to transform the Weddington property into an athletic facility and sustainable open space that will serve our students and the Studio City neighborhood."

The project has received support from students, some residents, nonprofits, labor groups and city officials.

Davis Marks, a senior at Harvard-Westlake, previously told city planners he appreciates that the project will be open to the community and nonprofit organizations.

"I grew up playing tennis in Weddington, but it's easy to recognize the positive impact of this project," Marks said. "I really look forward to seeing how the Studio City community both present and future will use this facility. I hope the city approves it."

Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, called the River Park "an investment in the well-being of our community, guaranteeing a legacy of recreation and enjoyment for Studio City patrons."

However, many residents oppose the project, and some have organized an opposition group called Save Weddington. The group has raised concerns regarding impacts to local traffic and parking, as well as a potential increase in noise.

Teri Austin, a resident of Studio City and member of Save Weddington, described the project as a "zero-line, McMansion sports villa," which "does not belong in a single-family residential area."

Harvard-Westlake representatives said they would address concerns in several ways, such as implementing a shuttle service and other plans to mitigate traffic impacts, installing LED lights, and planting 393 new trees, replacing the more than 200 that would be removed for the project.

The council's Planning and Land Use Management voted unanimously to approve the project last week.

Austin has expressed frustration that the project made it past the City Planning Commission. Opponents filed a complaint with the city's Ethics Commission last month on what they allege are ethics violations by Planning Commission President Samantha Millman and Vice President Caroline Choe.

Both commissioners are Harvard-Westlake alumni but did not recuse themselves from voting on the River Project. The Los Angeles Times reported that Millman and Choe sought guidance from the City Attorney's Office and followed its advice.

Austin told City News Service that the group suspected the council would deny the appeal and approve the project.

"We've had four council members indicted by the FBI in less than two years because of land use issues," Austin said. "So, it didn't really surprise us and we're locked and loaded, and ready to go through with our lawsuit."

She noted that there is another lawsuit against the city for its denial to designate the Weddington Golf & Tennis a historic cultural monument. The city may come to face two more lawsuits from citizens in the future, Austin said.