Local News in Brief : No Change in School Pact

Rolling Hills Estates has turned down a request from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District that it modify a proposed development agreement for the closed Dapplegray Intermediate campus.

In reaching the unanimous decision last week, City Council members said more public hearings would be required before any amendments could be considered. No motions were offered calling for hearings.

The decision apparently leaves the next move up to the school board, which has sought to convert the surplus property into cash as soon as possible to help offset projected budget deficits.

Meanwhile, another obstacle to the agreement arose this week when a group of Rolling Hills Estates residents circulated a petition that would require the City Council to rescind the Dapplegray pact or call for a referendum on the issue.

Jackie McGuire and Mary Ann Olson, sponsors of the petition, said they obtained 752 signatures, about 200 more than the 10% of registered voters required to qualify the measure.

The agreement on the 43-acre Dapplegray site calls for the city to get 10 acres free for parks and recreation in return for favorable zoning that would allow a developer to build 61 homes on the rest of the land. Earlier this month, the school board asked for changes that would require the city to specify exactly what acres it wants before final approvement of the agreement. The trustees also wanted more flexibility in dealing with developers.

The Dapplegray agreement already has been challenged in court by an east side group that has sued the school district in an attempt to prevent the sale of Dapplegray and the closing of Miraleste High School.