The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

The Student News Site of Harvard-Westlake School

The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle

Neighbors protest parking structure proposal

Protestors+gathered+on+Coldwater+Canyon+and+Ventura+Boulevard+with+signs+and+chanted+hey%2C+hey%2C+ho+ho%2C+this+bad+projects+got+to+go.+Credit%3A+Chronicle
Protestors gathered on Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Boulevard with signs and chanted “hey, hey, ho ho, this bad project’s got to go.” Credit: Chronicle

Neighbors gathered to protest the school’s parking structure proposal Tuesday morning.

Save Coldwater Canyon, a neighborhood group that aims to preserve and protect Coldwater Canyon and its neighboring communities, organized the protest.

At its largest, 45 people joined and two media trucks covered the event. Attendees stood on the corner of Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Ventura Boulevard, holding up handmade signs reading slogans such as “Kerkorian: Ask Harvard-Westlake to increase carpooling!” and “Keep Harvard-Westlake on the East Side of Coldwater.”

President of Save Coldwater Canyon Sarah Boyd said that the organization has many concerns about the proposal, such as its effects on traffic, the environment and public health.

“We wanted to raise awareness about the project to all the commuters already stuck in such horrible traffic — for example letting them know that the school’s proposal would add 160 truck trips each day from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. for nine months to an already unbearable commute,” Boyd said.

This protest followed the City Planning Committee’s delay of the parking discussion, which has been moved from Sept. 28 to an unknown date in the future.

If approved, the parking structure will include a three-story parking garage with a rooftop field and a bridge connecting the garage to campus.

Students have expressed their frustration with the situation.

“I didn’t see the protest personally, but I did see all of the commotion as I was coming up Coldwater [Canyon] on my way to school.” Rachel Grode ’19 said. “I personally believe that either we need the parking structure or we need to have access to parking on residential streets without them getting mad at us. We can’t just give away Harvard-Westlake’s ideas and what we need for the students just to please the neighbors.”

 

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Neighbors protest parking structure proposal