The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 105, No. 43 - October 13, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.....................14 Classifieds............................4 Community Briefs...............4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Entertainment......................7 Legals.............................. 6,13 Obituaries.............................2 Pets......................................15 Real Estate.....................8-12 Sports.................................5,7 Weekend Forecast Eagles Undefeated No More The El Segundo High School football team opened Ocean League play with 24-19 loss to Culver City last Friday. The Eagles dropped their first game of the season. El Segundo is back in action when they host Beverly Hills Friday at 7 p.m. Photo by Greg McMullin • City Council Gives Thumbs Up to New Housing Community at Imperial School Site By Brian Simon The decades-empty Imperial Avenue School site is set to become a new housing community--with 34 multi-family units and 24 single-family homes slated for construction. During a September 28 special city council meeting, the five members unanimously expressed their support for the project and developer D.R. Horton Homes’ requests to make slight amendments to the existing environmental impact report and specific plan to increase floor to area ratio and building height--while reducing setbacks, the number of guest parking Friday See City Council, page 6 AM Clouds/ spaces, and the street width (though still PM Sun 68˚/63˚ providing ample space for two-way traffic and fire trucks to navigate the blocks). Final approval is scheduled for Oct. 18. Renderings of the project showed both contemporary and arts and crafts design styles, with several different color schemes and units such as three-story townhomes as well as a “sevenplex” building. To minimize impacts on neighbors, the developer will put up retaining walls (likely eight feet in height) to provide privacy, and also send out notifications during construction on any dust and noise activities. Escrow recently closed on the deal for El Segundo Unified School District to sell the land to winning bidder D.R. Horton—the country’s largest homebuilder. District Superintendent Dr. Melissa Moore noted that the site at 540 E. Imperial (between Sheldon and McCarthy Court across the street from the dog park and south to Walnut) has been surplus property for decades with no school operations there since the ‘70s. Several attempts to lease the site in recent years failed, along with initial hopes to build a senior housing complex there. But when the School Board agreed to put the land up for sale, the District finally hit pay dirt. Cited city benefits from the project include development of a long-vacant and underutilized property; increased housing to address demand in town while also providing six affordable housing units to comply with State requirements; and $1 million in direct and community contributions courtesy of the developer. Of the $1 million, $500,000 will go to the city’s general fund for any use the council sees fit. Another $300,000 will cover monitoring costs for the affordable housing component over the next 20 years. D.R. Horton also committed $100,000 towards the city’s aquatics fund and another $100,000 to the El Segundo Little League. The Little League donation will help pay for a new field (total estimated cost $200,000) to cater to the Challenger and younger Rookie and Single A divisions. Those kids (about half of the 400 in local Little League) previously used the Imperial field that will soon be torn down to pave the way for the housing complex. The planned “Miracle Field,” as described by one School Board Views Richmond Street School Presentation By Duane Plank The Tuesday night meeting of the El Segundo Unified School District School Board featured special presentations that included the state of schools presentation by administrators and teachers at Richmond Street Elementary, a quick report from student representative to the Board Alex Nilsson, and a brief presentation by Ed! Foundation CEO Carol Pirsztuk. And also the announcement, by Superintendent Melissa Moore at the tail-end of the nearly 85-minute meeting, that the previously District owned- land on Imperial Street had closed escrow. “I would like to commend the Board for staying the course,” Moore said. “After 40 long years, we have closed escrow on Imperial on Sept. 30. It was a good day. Thank you for your trust and confidence. It was a long journey, but I am glad that we got there.” The Richmond Street presentation, which ran, with Board member inquiries, nearly 60 minutes, began with the sharing of highlights from the 2015-16 school year. Next, the presentation group, which included Principal Alice Lee, assistant principal Rebecca Godbey, reading specialist Lisa Haun, and Cotsen mentor Christine Quinn, detailed 2016-17 campus instructional programs. Data was then shared about school climate and achievement. Saturday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 70˚/64˚ Sunday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 70˚/63˚ See School Board, page 14
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