Palisades School Withdrawing Permit Request For Special Events

Six months ago, St Matthew’s in Pacific Palisades requested a conditional land use permit to  make six modifications on its school’s campus. Those modifications were requested in order for the school:

• To increase enrollment from 325 to 384 children.
• To increase from 12-16 the Parish’s special events
• To increase  from three to four – the nighttime events that go beyond 10 or 11 p.m.
• For special event visitors to park park on the public street north or south of the campus
• To reduce the annual carpool counts from 4 to 2.
• And to hold community meetings as requested rather than at fixed pre-set times.

Following discussions with the community and local officials and some strong opposition, particularly from Marquez Knolls residents, St. Matthews has now agreed to withdraw its request for the additional special events and for the additional late night event.

Head of School Stu Work and Interim Rector George Martin sent a letter to locals saying, “We are also scaling back our request for flexibility to park on the public street north or south of the campus, so that this could only ever happen when all available parking spaces on and next to campus is used and even then just up to four more times per year.

"We are also proposing a strict new compliance monitoring and reporting condition to make sure the conditions will be met. We are very happy to be able to make these concessions to the concerns we have heard from some of our neighbors, while still seeking what we need most – permission to allow enrollment for up to 384 students.”

They also stated that they received word from the Department of Transportation that the City agrees with St. Matthew’s traffic engineer study that concludes St. Matthew’s requests will not have any significant traffic impacts on the community.

What do you think of these changes? Tell us in the comments.