NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Permit OKd to Move Laurel Hall School

After five years of dealing with red tape, Laurel Hall School in North Hollywood has been granted permission to move.

On Tuesday, the Board of Zoning Appeals granted a conditional-use permit that allows the school to move from its present location on Radford Avenue to a three-acre site across the street.

The permit was granted on the condition that a proposed wall be pushed back 20 feet from the property line, which will cut the school’s proposed playground by about one-third.

The move is part of a $150-million proposal by Forest City Development, which includes converting the aging Laurel Plaza, a one-level mall, into a three-level, 1-million-square-foot shopping complex with three new department stores, 5,400 parking spaces and room for a 10-story office tower.

The developer agreed to relocate Laurel Hall School to make room for the mall. If the mall goes forward, the $8-million school will be built next to Emmanuel Lutheran Church, which owns the school.

“Make room for the monster mall,” grumbled Robert Carcia, president of Slow the Overdevelopment Process, a community group that has fought the project since 1986.

Other conditions included submitting final landscaping plans to Councilman Joel Wachs’ office for final approval, said Thomas Henry, planning deputy for Wachs.

The school will not be moved unless the mall project is approved. Forest City Development still faces a Planning Commission hearing that will address zoning changes needed before the mall can be expanded, and final approval for the entire project by the Los Angeles City Council in a few months.