Dear Mayor, City Council President, and the honorable members of the City Council.

THIS PROJECT IS TOO BIG!

As a Los Angeles resident, I ask you to appeal the City Planning Commission’s Approval of the River Park project Case No. CPC-2020-1511-VCU-SPR, ENV-2020-1512-EIR Harvard-Westlake athletic facility project at 4047 – 4155 North Whitsett Avenue; 12506 – 12630 West Valley Spring Lane (“Project”). Although this project is in CD4, this project will be brought to Plum on November 7th, it could possibly be brought to vote by the City Council.

I want to remind you the City Planning Commission had two members who are alumni  of the applicant, Harvard Westlake: Commissioner President Samantha Millman and VP Caroline Choe who chose to not recuse themselves.  By the way, Ms. Choe is a founding board member of the Harvard-Westlake Korean-American Alumni Network, not exactly as she said, ‘far removed’ from this project.  This project is slated to be utilized for Harvard Westlake alumni fundraising events.

I am among thousands of local residents, environmental groups, recreational groups, and conservationists believe this development is just too big for this massive athletic facility on an area the public has enjoyed with hundreds of mature trees and green open space.   I believe this school, in its copious resources, is able to find a better suitable location elsewhere for their extracurricular sports activities.

I am against this project due to the adverse environmental impacts, its limited public use, its potential to host 2000 person events even larger than the Ford Ampitheater (1200 person capacity), inclusion of artificial turf with PFAS forever chemicals, the local climate effect of heat islands created, increased noise pollution, and the burden it will be on the community in its two to three year potential construction time (noise, traffic, respiratory dangers).

Sincerely, 

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