NEW K-8 SCHOOL FOR PORTER RANCH

New School Design Review Meeting - July 9, 2008
LAUSD presented their proposed layout for the K-8 span school on April 2, 2008. There was an animated discussion about drop off access, sufficient kindergarten parent parking, emergency equipment, classroom features, and a technology center.

The next meeting was scheduled for July 9, 2008, 6:30pm at Germain Elementary School. The purpose of that meeting was to review building placement and the proposed architecture style. Meeting Flyer.

Proposed Building Placement as of April 2008

Starting at the top, the above image shows the multi-purpose room in orange, with food service in yellow, service yard, 2 story middle school in dark blue, space for expanding the middle school and the gym. Moving down the left is the library in purple, the elementary school in an L shape in blue, with the kindergarten classrooms in lighter blue, kindergarten play yard in green, then the parking lot.

The middle areas shown in green would be play area that may be paved. On the right are 6 basketball courts. The field is a soccer sized field. Larger View.

The architect took great care to take the wind and the sun into consideration in proposing this design.

Porter Ranch School Enters Environmental and Architectural Phase

The Porter Ranch K-8 school has begun the Environmental Impact Review (EIR) process. The LAUSD Office of Environmental Healthy & Safety conducted a community meeting June 10, 2008 to review their initial study findings. They collected public comments and questions and will prepare a Draft EIR report for public review and comment. The draft report is due in for public review in September. Upon completion of a 45 day public review period, it is expected that the final report will be sent for LAUSD Board approval January 27, 2009.

The initial study found that the school would have no impact on agricultural resources, land use, mineral resources, population and housing, and recreation. The school is expected to have “less than significant impacts” on aesthetics, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, hazardous materials, water quality, public services, and utilities and service systems.

However, several items were listed as having “potentially significant impacts”: air quality, noise, pedestrian safety, transportation and traffic. During the meeting, questions were raised about how the traffic study would be completed. John Moreno, the LAUSD California Environmental Quality Act Project Manager, explained that they would be considering traffic within a half mile of the school using information about expected residents when the school begins operations.

You may view the initial study and Draft EIR at Castlebay Lane & Germain Elementary Schools, Frost & Lawrence Middle Schools, the Porter Ranch Library and by clicking on this link: Initial Environmental Impact Study The file is quite large and will take time to load.

Proposed Porter Ranch K-8 Span School: Topic for February 12, 2008 Meeting
Al Grazioli, LAUSD Valley Region Development Manager, spoke to a standing room only audience of 80+ stakeholders about plans for the K-8 school to be located on the Southeast corner of Mason and Sesnon to serve 1,047 students.

The need for a new school was originally identified the the Porter Ranch Specific Plan, which calls for the developers to provide 7 acres to LAUSD at no cost for an elementary school. Additionally, LAUSD has the option to purchase additional acreage for a middle school.

The new school project moved forward in November 2005 when the PRNC hosted a Town Hall meeting with Roy Romer, LAUSD Superintendent of Schools, to ask for a new school. He assured attendees that if Measure Y passed, we would have a new school. Town Hall Information. Town Hall Meeting Notes.

Measure Y passed November 2005. Since that time the PRNC formed a committee to work with LAUSD, the Councilman's office and S&S to move this project forward quickly. S&S agreed to provide a total of almost 13 acres at no cost to LAUSD so that the school could span K-8. In exchange, the community agreed through changes in the Specific Plan, to allow S&S to build in the future an additional number of houses.

This project is a unique partnership between the community, neighborhood council, councilman's office, developer and LAUSD.

LAUSD held a Community Meeting in October 2006 at Beckford Elementary to kick off the project with the community. Community Meeting Notes.

In February 2007 LAUSD held another Community Meeting at Germaine Elementary to discuss the preferred site. Since that time LAUSD has been working on the Environmental Impact Report. At various times during this process members of the PRNC committee have spoken at LAUSD Board meetings on behalf of the project.

At the February 12, 2008 meeting Mr. Grazioli said that the project will need to move quickly to meet the planned 2012 opening. The upcoming dates are:

• February 26, 2008: Meet the Architect Community Meeting. Discuss design concepts.

• One month later: Community Meeting to review the high level Schematic Design

• Two months later: Community Meeting to review specific Design Elevations.

• November 2008: Need Environmental Clearance.

• Spring 2009: Need approval by State Architects.

• Fall 2009: Begin construction.

• Fall 2012: School opens.

Stakeholders asked various questions. At this time Mr. Grazioli did not have information on what the school boundaries would be. That is usually determined about one  year before opening. He also did not know if the middle school would serve all of Porter Ranch.

Answering a question he commented that with all schools the LAUSD Board could decide at any time not to complete the project. With skyrocketing construction costs the Board has run short on funds to complete all schools and a number of them have been cancelled. He did say that budget shortfalls would not mean that the school would not end up with all the standard features. They would not, for example, decide to eliminate a gym due to the budget.

Find LAUSD documents about the school.