Orange : Chapman College Center Delayed by Commission

Chapman College’s plans for a $10-million Learning Center building have hit a snag.

The city Planning Commission delayed action Wednesday night on a conditional-use permit the college needs before it can break ground. The college had hoped to have begun construction on the four-story building by now. Financing has been assured through private donations, college officials said.

But the commission delayed construction at least another month. It ordered a study of the project’s effect on city traffic and set an Oct. 6 deadline for the study to be finished.

Some residents near the private college, fearing noise and traffic, have urged the city to reject the project.

But Chapman President G. T. Smith said the center will not be a community problem but, rather, a community asset. “The Learning Center will be the centerpiece and flagship of the campus,” he said. The Learning Center would be built at the center of the campus, at Glassell Street and Palm Drive.