Long Beach : Lawsuit Filed on Wilson High Expansion Plan
A group of homeowners has filed suit against the Long Beach Unified School District asking that the district perform an environmental impact study before condemning a 4-acre parcel near Wilson High School to make room for a new science building.
“We’re just taking steps for our future,” said Maria Barnett, head of the Long Beach Neighborhood Coalition, which filed the suit in Long Beach Superior Court. A hearing date has not been set.
At issue is a block containing about 30 homes bounded by 7th and 8th streets and Bennett and Ximeno avenues directly across the street from Wilson High. The district has proposed leveling the block and using the land for athletic fields to make way for the new science building on the main campus.
Last year the school board adopted a negative declaration maintaining that the proposed project would not adversely affect the neighborhood. Residents disagreed, however, calling on the district to issue an environmental impact report, a step that school officials said was unnecessary.
School district officials have said they are negotiating with the city to find possible alternatives to condemning the land.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
