District Eyes Former Van Nuys Drive-In for School

Los Angeles Unified School District officials are eyeing the former Van Nuys Drive-In site for a new middle school--despite plans by the city to locate a car dealership on the property.

The district, which is already facing neighborhood opposition to a planned new high school in Arleta, says it needs to build 13 new schools to relieve classroom overcrowding in the San Fernando Valley.

District officials said Tuesday they are considering locating a middle school on 13 acres at the former Van Nuys Drive-In Theater on the south side of Roscoe Boulevard, just east of the San Diego Freeway.

Like the old Gemco site in Arleta, the property is owned by a retailer with plans to build a store. School district officials said they would consider acquiring land through eminent domain if commercial developers resist building schools.

With the support of the neighborhood last spring, the mayor and the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved zoning requirements that would allow Car Max, a used-vehicle dealership owned by Circuit City Inc., to purchase and move into the theater space.

The company is moving ahead with its plans to open a dealership in 2000, said Val Brown, a Car Max spokesman, noting that the district hasn’t entered negotiations with the company.

“Obviously, our plans are at odds,” said Bob Niccum, the school district’s director of real estate and asset management. “We’re excited about the site.”

The Board of Education cannot take action until officials complete environmental studies of the properties. Both studies are scheduled to begin in early April and end next winter.

Use of the Gemco site, at Van Nuys Boulevard and Beachy Avenue, has generated a public outcry. A neighborhood group expressed concerns during a 90-minute meeting Monday night with political representatives and school officials, including school board member David Tokofsky.

Neighbors said they’d rather see property owner Grupo Gigante build a supermarket on the Gemco lot. They fear a school will cause crime, traffic, noise and litter, and that the LAUSD will seize homes--a charge the district denies.

“I went to the meeting last night, and I’m still concerned,” said Jess Gonzales, 63, who has lived across the street from the Gemco site for nearly 28 years. “I still don’t feel like I know what the deal is.”

Emphasizing that a new school needs community support, state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) suggested last month that the district consider building a high school, as well as elementary and middle schools, on Department of Water and Power property in Sun Valley.

Alarcon reiterated his position Monday in a letter to school officials, while also urging them to solicit more opinions from the community. He disputed the district’s claim that the DWP site raises safety concerns, including the possibilities of flooding and toxicity.

School officials said they plan to hold more meetings in Arleta and, within a few weeks, to formally notify neighbors near the drive-in about the district’s interest in the land.

Niccum of the school district said although the Gemco property is preferred, the district is still considering the DWP site and plans to research it further.

“Building schools is not always the most popular thing,” Niccum said, “but there is a need.”

The Los Angeles district says it needs 51 new schools to cope with its surging student population. In the Valley, Niccum said, the district is searching for property in the area east of the San Diego Freeway and north of Oxnard Street to build six primary centers, three elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools.

Besides the drive-in and Gemco sites, Niccum said, the district hasn’t identified other property it is serious about. The two sites are ideal, he said, because they are situated where the need for schools is high and the demolition of nearby homes would not be required.

Both schools would have several stories, athletic facilities and, most likely, underground parking, Niccum said.

The proposed high school would serve 2,700 students from Monroe, San Fernando and Van Nuys high schools.

The middle school would serve between 1,500 and 1,800 students from Fulton and Sepulveda middle schools.