R.H. Estates Rejects Expansion of Private School, Cancels Permit

Citing opposition from nearby residents, the city of Rolling Hills Estates has rejected a request by the Peninsula Heritage School to increase its enrollment and add new classrooms.

The City Council also noted that the school has failed to meet the requirements of a previous conditional-use permit and directed the school to apply for a new permit to stay in business at Palos Verdes Drive North and Rolling Hills Road.

The council heard the expansion request, which had been approved by the Planning Commission in January, on an appeal Tuesday night.

Has Enrollment of 120

The school, which is permitted to have 108 students on campus at any one time, has an actual enrollment of 120 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The school had asked to increase the number of students permitted on campus to 180 and to build five classrooms, replacing three of its existing rooms.

During the four-hour hearing, more than a dozen residents spoke against the request, complaining of noise and traffic generated by the school. Some also said their property is periodically flooded with water from the school grounds.

The school, a private, nonprofit institution, received a conditional-use permit from the city in 1976, when it was known as the Wingrock School. City officials said several conditions of the permit were never met, including a requirement to pave the parking lot.

Although the 1976 permit had no expiration date, the city has since passed a zoning ordinance limiting the term of conditional-use permits to four years. City Atty. Richard Terzian told the council Tuesday that the school is technically in violation of the zoning ordinance for operating without a current permit.

The council voted unanimously to overturn the Planning Commission’s decision and directed the school to apply for a new permit. Councilman Warren Schwarzmann said the city will then review the school’s ability to comply with the original conditions and decide whether to add new conditions.

The council’s decision came as a relief to many neighbors.

Mare Annoyed by Children

Two residents brought a basketball and a soccer ball that had been tossed into their yards by children playing at the school and they complained that they had to retrieve balls from their property several times a week. One neighbor said his Arabian mare had been annoyed by schoolchildren.

“I don’t think it’s fair for a school to come in and abuse the privilege of being in my back yard,” said Glenda Urmacher, another resident.

Mayor Nell Mirels said the city was partly to blame for the ill will that had developed between the school and its neighbors because it failed to pursue unmet conditions of the permit. “A lot of things slipped through the cracks,” she said.