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View Winners → Community weighs in on proposed Harvard-Westlake Park Project
San Fernando Valley Jul 13, 2023
These photographs from an LA planning department report show the site of the proposed Harvard-Westlake park project in Studio City. | Photos courtesy of Los Angeles City Planning
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By Jose Herrera
City officials heard more than four hours of public comment Wednesday on the proposed Harvard-Westlake River Park, a 17.2-acre development project that would bring an athletic and recreational facility to the Studio City area.
The city’s planning department heard from residents in favor of the project and groups such as Friends of the LA River, Angel City Sports and Special Olympics of Southern California, while opponents said the large development would damage the way of life in the “bedroom community.”
In October 2017, Harvard-Westlake School — an independent college preparatory school for grades 7-12 — purchased Weddington Golf & Tennis, a 16-acre property in Studio City bounded by Whitsett Avenue and the Los Angeles River, less than a mile from Harvard-Westlake’s upper school campus.
The project, which would be developed on the Weddington site, has drawn opposition for its potential impact on local traffic, parking and neighborhood noise. But it had its share of supporters on Wednesday.
“We are gratified by the tremendous show of support that was displayed by our River Park proposals at today’s hearing conducted by the City Planning Department,” Harvard-Westlake President Rick Commons said in a statement. “Hundreds of people representing all walks of life took time out of their day to testify in support of our plans to transform the Weddington Golf and Tennis property into a multi-benefit athletic facility and open space that will be enjoyed by both our school community and the Studio City neighborhood.”
Judy Chaikin, a longtime resident of Studio City, disputed the idea that the project would benefit the community.
“This is a private facility with a dinosaur footprint in the midst of our little bedroom community,” Chaikin told city planners. “This will be the beginning of the end of our cherished way of life in Studio City.”
Chaikin added that the moment a homeless person sets foot on the Harvard-Westlake development, “fences will go up and the public will be locked out.”
A representative for Harvard-Westlake said that would not be the case.
Laurie Cohen, a Studio City resident of more than 30 years, further added she had “no faith that we’re going to really have public access.”
According to planning officials, the project would remove an existing golf course, driving range and tennis facility to develop:
— two athletic fields with bleacher seating;
— an 80,249-square-foot, two-story multipurpose gymnasium with a maximum height of 30 feet;
— a 50-meter swimming pool with seating;
— eight tennis courts with seating;
— a one-level parking lot.
Plans also include various amenities, such as field buildings, three security kiosks, exterior light poles, walls and fencing. The existing clubhouse would remain intact.
More than 240 of the existing 421 trees will be removed, but the plans call for an additional 393 new trees. A million-gallon stormwater capture and reuse system for water conservation and treatment purposes would be included as well.
Approximately 5.4 acres would be set aside for publicly-accessible open space and landscaped trails connecting to the adjacent Zev Yaroslavsky LA River Greenway, providing on-site landscaped areas, water features and recreational facilities.
Off-site improvements would be made to the Valleyheart Drive public right-of-way, portions of the Zev Greenway adjacent to the project site, and an ADA-compliant ramp to provide a pedestrian connection between the Zev Greenway and Coldwater Canyon Avenue northwest of the project site.
The Harvard-Westlake River Park Project includes an approximately 1.1-acre portion of property along the LA River leased from LA County.
The public input will be considered in the Planning Commission’s decision on whether to greenlight the project on Aug. 24. The City Council’s planning committee would then take up the matter at a future date.
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