The Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee voted to recommend designating the Weddington Golf & Tennis property in Studio City a Historic-Cultural Monument, the future home of River Park, President Rick Commons announced in an email Sept. 14.

Five months ago, the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission encouraged the Los Angeles City Council to name Weddington Golf & Tennis a historic monument. With the new decision in place, the site will be able to retain its distinctive architectural features, including the putting green, clubhouse and golf ball floodlights. Weddington’s general recreational use will also be preserved, all while the construction of River Park continues as planned.

School encourages the community to share their support in a public setting

Commons said he looks forward to the River Park developments at Weddington Golf & Tennis.

“This is an important milestone for the project,” Commons said. “Today’s decision is the first in what will be a series of city reviews of our plan for River Park. In addition to today’s PLUM committee recommendation, the city will circulate the project’s draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public review and comment. We anticipate that the city will conduct a number of public hearings to render a decision on the project in early 2022.”

To ensure the success of the approval process, the school will be hosting public hearings, both via Zoom and in-person, for members of the Harvard-Westlake community to voice their support for River Park.

Students voice their perspectives on the River Park construction

Girls tennis player Tanya Anand ’24 said she is glad the recent decision will allow members of the Studio City community to continue enjoying the facilities provided at Weddington Golf & Tennis.

“[The recent news is] exciting because it means that Weddington will be able to retain features that many Studio City residents enjoy, [including] access to the tennis courts and driving range,” Anand said. “Now a historic monument, more people will be able to enjoy these [amenities].”

Boys soccer player Omar Rivera ’24 said that though the development of River Park will allow students and local residents access to greater facilities, he is worried about the project’s impact on student-athletes.

“River Park as a concept is a good idea, but its impacts on future athletes can be harmful,” Rivera said. “The project can negatively affect certain sports teams, like the golf team, who will be forced to relocate. Despite this, sharing [the facilities at] Weddington with the rest of the Studio City community [would be] beneficial as it would give local children a nearby state-of-the-art facility where they can develop an interest in sports.”