More than 350 people, mostly supporters of Loyola Marymount University, attended the first of four public hearings on the university’s 20-year Master Plan on Wednesday, July 28.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents LMU and the surrounding area in Council District 11, was the first to address the crowd and praised LMU. “I’m very fond of the Jesuits and I’m very fond of LMU,” he said. “Thank you for being an asset in our community.”
He emphasized, however, that he has to build a coalition and there are four outstanding issues: the desire for a 20-foot buffer zone on McConnell Avenue, enough parking when there are events on campus, digital signage that won’t intrude into people’s home, and mitigation of noise and light pollution.
Lynne Scarboro, senior vice president of administration, represented LMU. “We are proud of the role we play in the community, and our Master Plan reflects our community values,” she said. She stressed that the Master Plan will add more than 15,000 jobs over 20 years and an estimated $1.6 billion in economic activity.
W.H.O.L.E. and the McConnell Quality of Life Group spoke in opposition to parts of the plan that involve activities on the border of the campus. They also requested a 20-foot landscaped buffer; a 150-foot setback for residential housing; 150-foot setback for outdoor amplified sound in athletic areas; and a deadline for moving the recycling facilities to Drollinger Parking Lot.
There were 43 speakers in support of the plan and 16 opposing it, who each gave one-to-two minute comments during the three-hour hearing at the Westchester Recreation Center.
Patrick Cain, ’79, who has lived in Westchester for more than 25 years, spoke to the many concessions that LMU has already made to address neighbor concerns. “We said that we don’t want the recycling facility so close to homes, and LMU is has agreed to move it,” he said. “We said that we have a problem with students partying in the neighborhood, and LMU is planning on moving 1,000 more students back on campus. This plan has a lot of positives for the community, and I hope you will support it.”