Medium-Density Housing Suggested for School Site

The Torrance Planning Commission unanimously recommended Wednesday that the former Columbia School site be rezoned for medium-density housing, but said senior citizen housing or a private school would also be an acceptable use of the five-acre lot.

The commission’s recommendation followed more than an hour of testimony from a dozen northwest Torrance residents.

The City Council will decide the zoning issue later this month.

The triangular lot on 186th Street near Hawthorne Boulevard is owned by the Torrance Unified School District and is zoned for public use.

State law requires that any profits from the sale of school lands go toward building improvements and the purchase of other property. By developing the Columbia School site instead of selling it, the district can use the profits for other school needs such as salaries or other programs, school officials said.

District officials have said they would like the city to rezone the land so that the district can develop high-density housing, such as apartments, which would bring maximum profit to Torrance schools.

Residents have generally opposed the plan, and did so again Thursday, saying they preferred low-density zoning to limit traffic and parking problems in their neighborhood.

Packing Rats

“Are we getting to the point where development means packing more rats into the cage?” asked Russ Akers, a resident on 186th Street.

The zoning of the site, which has been vacant since 1987, has been a sensitive issue with City Council members, who have said high-density development would increase congestion.

The recommended R2 zoning, which permits duplexes, would allow up to 60 housing units on the site. Should the council prefer senior citizen housing, the commission recommended that it occupy a maximum of half the site. That would allow up to 58 senior citizen housing units per acre, or 145 units at the site.

The commissioners also said it would be appropriate to put a private school or a day-care center on part of the property.

Many of the residents who spoke during the commission meeting, which was attended by about 30 neighborhood residents, said they favored leaving the school on the site or zoning it for single-family housing.

Eileen Hawkins, who teaches at a private school in Torrance, asked that the site be left alone because schools may be needed if the number of school children in Torrance increases. Joe Boyd, a resident on Grevillea Avenue, said: “If I had my way, the Columbia School site would be a wilderness park.”

The commission agreed, in part, with a suggestion from Ursel Nolte, chairman of the Torrance Senior Citizens Council, who asked that the site be zoned for senior citizen housing.

“I tell you, right now we have people that need housing desperately,” he said, “and I’m going to fight for it.”

During next Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council members will receive information about ways to increase senior citizen housing in the city. Pat Blumen, a city planner, said the information will tell how the city can finance the purchase of land to build more affordable housing for the elderly.

Medium-Density Zoning

All five commission members said they recommended the medium-density zoning because it would be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

The area north of the site has medium-density zoning with single-family and two-family homes. The area to the south and east is commercial. To the west are railroad tracks and just beyond it, Redondo Beach.

Some council members have said they fear that the school district may consider including subsidized housing on the site, despite repeated assurances from school officials that it would not build such a project.

Subsidized housing is a touchy issue among City Council members. In 1980, four council members faced recall petitions because they voted for a federally subsidized housing project in order to continue receiving federal grants.

Build Apartments

Faced with overwhelming opposition from residents, the council ultimately dropped out of the federal housing program and the recall effort was abandoned.

The Columbia School once provided classes for mentally and physically handicapped children. The program was moved to Torrance High School in 1987. Columbia is one of nine schools that the district has closed in the last 10 years as enrollment declined. Some were sold or converted to other district uses.