WESTLAKE VILLAGE : Residents to Maintain School District Lot

A homeowners association will begin landscaping a Las Virgenes Unified School District property next to an elementary school today as part of a joint venture that transfers maintenance responsibility to the homeowners.

The property, which is about 150 yards long and 25 feet wide, runs adjacent to White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village. Last year, the district proposed turning the land into a parking lot, but the First Neighborhood Homeowners Assn. opposed the plan, contending the lot would be noisy and unsightly.

Responding to homeowners’ concerns, the district scrapped the plan and collaborated with the city of Westlake Village to allow White Oak teachers and staff to park on the street near the school.

They also agreed to give the homeowners the right to landscape and beautify the property.

“I think they will maintain it at a better level than we would be able to,” said district Supt. Albert Marley.

The association plans to bulldoze the property to level it before installing a new sprinkler system and planting trees and grass. “The homeowners are almost delirious,” said Skip Vose, vice president of the association. “We’re really pleased to say the least.” The agreement term is five years, but the district has the right to terminate the agreement should the property be needed for another use, Marley said.