IT IS NOT A DONE DEAL! PLEASE SEND COMMENTS TO YOUR CITY COUNCILPERSON REGARDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
for HARVARD WESTLAKE's Sports complex
aka Harvard-Westlake River Walk "Park"
Either e-mail or call Los Angeles City Councilperson Nithya Raman's office.
Email her at contactCD4@lacity.org
Call her 213-473-7004
You can mention any of these points in regard to this project:
*240 mature trees will be removed, immature trees will be used
*Existing tree canopy shade will be gone
*Heat island effect of gym stadiums and artificial turf
*Use of petroleum based artificial turf contributes to microplastic pollution and is carcinogenic
*Public access to open space will be limited
*Historical features of the property will be destroyed
*Traffic on Whitsett and Coldwater will be a nightmare.
*Special events until 9:00 PM (with 80ft light poles, illuminated scoreboards)
*The project is too big it will destroy the serenity of the neighborhood forever
Here's the link to the DRAFT Environmental Impact Report in its entirety
https://planning.lacity.org/development-services/eir/harvard-westlake-river-park-project-0
Remember, It is not a done deal!
Weddington can still be kept for the local community not just a small few.
Contact your Councilperson to give your support.
You can still help in keeping
community public access to
Weddington Golf & Tennis features:
9 hole public golf course- Bull-dozed
Driving Range - Gone
16 Community Tennis Courts -limited to 8 courts
200+ Mature Growth Trees - Cut down
Weddington Golf and Tennis is a part of the fabric of our community. For over 50 years, this land has provided vital open space and recreational opportunities to thousands of residents, school children and sports enthusiasts from across the region each year.
It must be protected. Save LA River Open Space (SLAROS) was established in 2004 with the explicit mission to preserve the Weddington property as open space with permanent public access, and to protect it from unwanted development.. Our work continues.
In 2017, Weddington was purchased by Harvard-Westlake with plans to repurpose the property into a sports complex to serve the school's athletic objectives. The school’s proposed “Harvard-Westlake River Park Plan” would eliminate golf, cut the number of tennis courts in half (from 16 to 8), and potentially unleash numerous impacts to the environment, to the surrounding neighborhoods and the broader Studio City community. Furthermore, the plan as proposed would strictly limit access to the site, thus depleting an important source of recreational green space available to the public.
We invite you to join us as we continue the fight to preserve the legacy of Weddington as open space that is open to the public.
Part of a Grass Roots Coalition:
NEW DEVELOPMENT: POTENTIAL IMPACTS to PUBLIC USE of the WEDDINGTON GOLF and TENNIS SITE.
Harvard-Westlake announced on October 30, 2017 they had agreed to buy the 16-acre Weddington Golf and Tennis property adjacent to the Los Angeles River. Escrow closed in December 2017. The only information available to date is that they intend to build the Harvard-Westlake Community Athletics Center on the site. The extent and usage of the Athletics Center by Harvard-Westlake, as well as any impacts to the open space and public access to the site, remain unknown.
DEVELOPMENT THREATENS FUTURE OF LA RIVER OPEN SPACE
The development of Harvard-Westlake’s Community Athletics Center on the site will require a Conditional Use Permit from the city.
We are a long way from the first city formal hearings on this matter and we will keep everyone informed.
Serious impacts from this proposed development include:
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Increased traffic and congestion on already crowded streets
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Loss of 8 tennis courts, golf course, & driving range
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Loss of best possible site for regional public access to L.A. River and river trails
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Loss of important water quality improvement site to address polluted runoff
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Obscured views and airflow
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Increased urban heating
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Main site access would share access with Fire Station
ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
The property is currently zoned Agricultural. Development of this property would require a Conditional Use Permit which would also require L.A. City Council approval. More information will be posted as it is made available.