Traffic Concerns Spur R.H. Estates to Oppose Closure of Miraleste

Rolling Hills Estates City Council members said last week that they oppose the closure of Miraleste High School on the peninsula’s east side unless steps are taken to control expected traffic and parking problems.

The council’s action was a formal response to an environmental impact report on the proposed closure that is being prepared by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.

In June, 1988, a judge ordered the district, which wants to close Miraleste because of declining enrollment, to produce the report after an east-side parents’ group filed a lawsuit to keep the school open.

In a Nov. 15 letter sent to school board President Jeffrey Younggren and signed by Mayor Nell Mirels, council members recommended that Miraleste remain open because it was not possible to mitigate the traffic and other problems its closure would create.

“Since it would not be possible to mitigate the potential impacts caused by the closure of the school, the City Council of the city of Rolling Hills Estates recommends that Miraleste High School remain open to serve the community it is intended to serve,” the letter stated.

In an interview, however, Mirels said the letter was drafted in haste and the city meant to convey the message that it opposes closing the high school only if the district refuses to take action to solve the problems.

“I guess what we are saying is you have to do something,” Mirels said Thursday. “You have to see something is done so you don’t shut down the flow of traffic” on Palos Verdes Drive North.

Marianne Kipper, a member of the parents group that filed the lawsuit against the district, said she was thrilled that the Rolling Hills Estates council had taken a position on the issue. She said the group hopes to persuade Rancho Palos Verdes council members to also take a public stance against the school’s closure.

The Rolling Hills Estates letter was forwarded to the consultant hired by the school district to prepare the report, according to a district spokeswoman. District officials have said the report will probably be completed by January, and the district has no other comment.

A draft of the report, which was made public last month, concluded that if Miraleste is closed, congestion on major roadways would increase because students now attending the school would have to travel across the peninsula to attend class. The district’s other two high schools are both on the west side.

For example, the report concludes that traffic volume at the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive West and Cloyden Road would increase by 23% during the peak morning rush hours if Miraleste is closed. Volumes at other key intersections such as Silver Spur Road and Palos Verdes Drive North would also increase, although not by as much, the report concludes.

The report also concluded that Miraleste’s closure could cause congestion in neighborhoods near the two remaining high schools. Already, there are not enough parking spots at the schools to meet student demand.

At Palos Verdes High School, for example, the report estimates that there is a shortage of 170 spots and, if Miraleste closes, the deficit would climb to 265. At Rolling Hills High School, the present shortage of 87 spaces would jump to 237, the report states.