2 Alternative Sites Urged for School

Hoping to deter school officials from building a high school on its property, Robinsons-May has proposed two alternative sites to relieve campus overcrowding in the east San Fernando Valley.

Real estate consultants retained by Robinsons-May recommended a largely vacant 12.7-acre parcel near Vanowen Street and Whitsett Avenue owned by the Department of Water and Power. The Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley also favors the location for a new school.

The second suggested site is the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Sun Valley bus facility, near Sherman Way and Tujunga Avenue.

School officials said Tuesday they will review the recommendations. “We are taking those two sites very seriously,” said Jason Greenwald, a spokesman for school board member Caprice Young. “Caprice has asked the district to take a good, hard look at them and they are doing that now.”

Despite heated opposition from community and business leaders, the LAUSD is studying the economic and environmental feasibility of converting the 24.7-acre store site into a much-needed campus to relieve crowding at Polytechnic and North Hollywood high schools. The Laurel Canyon Boulevard store also houses the corporate headquarters for the 56-store Robinsons-May division.

“Under no circumstances do we want to leave,” said Robinsons-May Chairman Robert Soroka. “We want to stay put.”

Robinsons-May consultants estimated the cost to acquire the department store at more than $100 million, roughly triple LAUSD’s figure.

School officials called the estimate of $100 million “grossly inflated,” but said the cost is being carefully studied as part of the feasibility study.