Neighbors of the university say the project will increase traffic, noise and pollution. University officials say the project adds much needed benefits to the school and Malibu.
By Paul Sisolak / Special to The Malibu Times
Residents of a local subdivision say that a proposed expansion of Pepperdine University’s Seaver Campus will cause irreversible noise and environmental impacts, and that those factors should be reflected in the project’s 600-page-plus Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Supporters say the project will add to on-campus quality of life for students and enhance its athletic facilities.
The residents’ comments came after a hearing on the project last Thursday at the university by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Department. The hearing was a chance to submit feedback as part of a 60-day comment period on the expansion and renovation, called the Campus Life Project.
Members of the Malibu Country Estates homeowners association are worried that long-standing plans to expand the school’s athletic center up to 5,470 seats-an increase of 1,896-and the additional housing for 468 students, as well as high-intensity sports lighting, will increase traffic, noise and pollution.
“Before, we had a private subdivision. And they’re talking about changing our character, and Malibu’s,” Bob Brisken, a Malibu Country Estates HOA member, said.
“It’s the impact on the environment, to traffic, to the night sky, to the surrounding homes and Malibu in general,” he added.
The school’s expansion plan will also add nearly 800 new parking spaces and the creation of 48 new full-time positions on campus. According to a staff presentation, construction would be carried out in two phases, during the course of 12 years.
University President Andrew Benton, who spoke at the meeting last week, asked that students, alumni and local residents not lose sight of the project’s benefits to Pepperdine and Malibu.
“My fear is what we do will be reduced to [mitigating negative] ‘impacts,’” he said.
One major concern in particular for the HOA is that a new athletic center at Pepperdine, when drawing capacity crowds, could create a backup of cars entering and exiting the arena on a regular basis, blocking the country estates’ sole one-way access to their homes.
“We want to support Pepperdine’s education mission, but by the same token, we’re concerned about privacy and the quality of our lives next to [the school],” Dick Gary, HOA member, said.
Susan Saul, a member of A Safer Pacific Coast Highway, at Thursday’s planning hearing said she is also worried that increased traffic will add to the already treacherous conditions on the highway. While she said she supports the expansion plan in general, she said the DEIR should better stress the importance of safe driving if more traffic is generated.
“I’m a big fan of Pepperdine,” Saul said. “We are asking in your study to make PCH safer. We’re sick and tired of people being killed on the Pacific Coast Highway.”
Brisken also quashed suggestions voiced at the meeting that new student housing means more students remaining on campus, and thus, less traffic in the area. He disagrees, and argues that with more people, more traffic is generated driving to and from the school.
“It’s just counterintuitive,” he said.
Most attending last week’s planning hearing were students and alumni who supported the expansion.
“We’re doing the [student] population here a whole justice,” Pepperdine alumnus Kendall Fisher said. “These improvements are a great thing.”
Marty Wilson, Pepperdine associate head basketball coach, said he believes the expanded athletic facilities will provide many benefits, such as eliminating the juggling of schedules between home and visiting teams, and the freeing up of locker room space.
“The time is now for the new events center,” he said. “It puts us on the same playing field.”
The new campus housing and its adjoining recreational areas will also serve to boost school spirit and give students better opportunities to interact, according to some current undergraduates.
“ … there aren’t any communal areas,” Ashley Watson, a senior, said. “With the new housing plan, it will definitely change the face of Pepperdine.”
Malibu Country Estates Homeowners Association members will appear before the Malibu City Council at its Dec. 13 meeting, when the university will present its project to the city, against the campus expansion.
“We want to present the opposing point of view,” Brisken said.
Public comments on the Campus Life Project DEIR to the county are due by Jan. 10. If the project receives approval from the county planning department, it will then go before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and then the Coastal Commission for review. The city does not have any authority over the project, as the university is not within city boundaries.
More information about the Campus Life Project can be obtained online at planning.lacounty.gov/case/all, under Project No. R2007-03064.