School, Homeowners Negotiate Expansion

Officials at Buckley School will host a neighborhood meeting Monday--the second within a week--on the campus’ proposed plans to expand the private school nestled in the hills of southern Sherman Oaks.

The last meeting, held Wednesday, was an encouraging one, said Headmaster Walter Baumhoff.

But Buckley representatives and members of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. now must grapple with the perennial Los Angeles quandary: where to park.

As the school prepares to increase enrollment from 750 to 900 students over five to seven years, there is a need for “creative solutions” to traffic problems, said Richard Close, president of the homeowner group.

One option Buckley officials presented Wednesday is the possibility of developing satellite parking lots and running shuttle buses to the school.

The school has not yet filed expansion papers with the city, instead waiting to hear from neighbors, who can make or break such projects.

“We don’t want to move forward until we know there is support out there,” Baumhoff said. The proposed changes to the school’s conditional-use permit outlined at the homeowners meeting include a one-hour weeknight extension of hours of operation, which are now 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a change in the number of permitted weekend events, including football, baseball and volleyball games, from one a month to 12 spaced over 10 months; an allowance for three, instead of the current two, school dances, and the addition of Saturday school access for teachers to grade papers, use the library and computers and perform other tasks.

“Financial reasons”--namely a $2-million earthquake renovation and changing economic conditions--led the tuition-dependent K-12 school to expand, said Baumhoff.

Monday’s meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Lower School assembly room, 3900 Stansbury Ave. For information, call (818) 783-1610, Ext. 405.