Green Dot, the Los Angeles-based nationally recognized charter school operator, has requested a Conditional Use Permit to move its Westminster middle school to a two-story office building at the northeast corner of McConnell Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard in Del Rey.
Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are chartered by local school districts, county offices of education or the state to educate their students with their own, unique educational system. Many charter schools operate within existing school facilities, but the Los Angeles Unified School District is so impacted that a large percentage of its charter schools must rent private space to operate. Green Dot says it has outgrown the space it currently shares on the campus of Cowan Elementary School in Westchester.
The proposal requires a Conditional Use Permit because operating a school is not a by-right use in the M2 zone, where the subject site is located. The project site is surrounded by light manufacturing uses to the north, east and west, and vacant land to the south that is zoned multi-family residential and commercial as part of the Playa Vista Area D Specific Plan.
The Del Rey Neighborhood Council voted to support the application after much discussion about the project's traffic impact on the neighborhood. The NC's first vote was to oppose the project as first proposed but to send the request back to its Land Use Committee for further discussion.
Former Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who was termed out of office this summer, told the Argonaut News in December that he supports the Conditional Use Permit request. "I will definitely be speaking in favor of it, as long as there are no critical planning issues,” Rosendahl said. Newly elected Councilman Mike Bonin hasn't publicly stated his position on the project.
The City Planning Commission meets Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the Public Works Board Room (#350), 200 N. Main Street, Los Angeles.
Argonaut News: Green Dot Charter school seeks relocation to light industrial area
http://argonautnews.com/del-rey-green-dot-charter-school-seeks-relocation-to-light-industrial-area/
Del Rey Neighborhood Council vote:
http://www.delreync.org/GreenDotRelocation
Del Rey Neighborhood Council Fact Sheet:
http://www.delreync.org/sites/default/files/Fact%20Sheet%2011-12-12_0.pdf
City Planning Commission agenda:
http://ens.lacity.org/pln/cityplnagenda/plncityplnagenda28583181_07112013.pdf
Planning Department electronic tracking: CPC-2012-2904-CU
http://planning.lacity.org/cts_internet/index.cfm?urlCaseId=189032&caseNumber=CPC-2012-2904-CU&fuseaction=case.summary