A proposal to build a preschool/child day care center on Horn Avenue just north of Sunset Boulevard has raised concerns from residents along Horn and Shoreham Drive, for whom the avenue is the only way in and out of their neighborhood.
The preschool is a project of Chalk Preschools, which owns preschools in Manhattan Beach, Venice and Westwood and in Chicago and plans to open one in Pasadena this year. The West Hollywood school will be in the building once occupied by Spago, a restaurant opened by Wolfgang Puck in 1982 that became famous for its celebrity clientele, which Chalk will renovate.
Elyse Eisenberg, chair of the West Hollywood Heights Neighborhood Association, which represents those living in the area, has said the they are concerned about the preschool’s impact on traffic and parking, whether it will generate more noise and whether it is a safe place for children.
Eisenberg said her neighborhood, which includes the Horn and the four other nearby streets above Sunset, is the most densely populated in West Hollywood, with 1,000 homes in a five-block area.
In an interview with WEHOville, Eisenberg also argued that zoning for the area doesn’t permit a school. The lot sits in the area covered by the city’s Sunset Specific Plan, which permits offices and stores, mixed-use residential buildings and tourism, nightlife and entertainment-related businesses such as hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Jerome Cleary, a neighbor of the proposed project, has been a vocal critic, calling out the issues raised by Eisenberg but also saying that sex offenders in the area should not have to move because a school will be built. Under California law, those deemed “high-risk” sex offenders and those whose offenses involved children under the age of 14 must not live within a half mile of any K-12 public or private school.
Doug Oleff, who founded the first Chalk Preschool in Bloomington, Ill., in May 2005, said concerns that the school will generate a lot of traffic are unfounded.
“Our program is set up in such a way that it does alleviate traffic concerns,” he said in an interview with WEHOville. For example, he said, unlike an elementary school, where many parents arrive at a certain morning hour to drop off their kids and a certain afternoon hour to drop them off, his preschool has staggered pick-up and drop-off times, Nearly half of the student will be picked up mid-day and the rest between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. he said.
Oleff also said concerns that noise from the playground will upset neighbors are unwarranted. He said no more than 20 children, ages two to five, will be playing outside at any time. And Oleff said that, given their age, many of the children will play by themselves.
“We would never go into an area and spend a lot of money on improving this building after doing all the research we have done and make it a bad experience for the families that are going to attend the preschool or the neighbors,” Oleff said.
Oleff said he sees high demand for a preschool in West Hollywood, which he thinks reflects changes in the community that include move families with children moving here.
The preschool project will be discussed on Jan. 19 by the West Hollywood Planning Commission,
One might question Mr. Oleff in his experience w preschoolers or perhaps his personal experience which has evidently affected him in a negative direction. Could he find a tree lines street w some sunshine and perhaps a simple garden/playground area? One away from the traffic and noxious fumes of same? Those are formative years for preschoolers and unless one wants a rattle brained child the school should look elsewhere.
I agree. Having a preschool there will disrupt the moral fabric of this city. Let’s keep this a community for grown ups!
A minimally aware individual would consider this location a very poor but expedient choice.
The sole letter in support was written by an individual living on Fountain bet. Kings Road and Flores – E of La Cienega and over 1 mile away, who describes herself as a hacker. A quick review of her social media profile makes it clear she isn’t a parent of any kind, much less of a young child who would utilize the school.
She was obviously encouraged to write this by the school owner or his rep.
The staff report that just came out today shows 44 letters in OPPOSITION to this CHALK Pre-school and only 1 letter in support. Our Horn Avenue cannot handle an additional 360 vehicles a day from this pre-school. This is a really bad fit and it’s not even zoned for a pre-school in a very adult neighborhood.
It’s hard to believe that after searching the area that the old Spago location on Horn was the best they could find for a preschool. I remember the fight over the proposed development of the old Tower Records site. Fortunately it was killed and original building found a good fit with Gibson Guitars. I don’t know what would work in that location because it’s so compromised with respect to access and parking. The new (and to my subjective eye, hideous) condos at Sunset/La Cienega will not have many children. They are being marketed internationally for wealthy foreigners as an LA-area… Read more »
I agree with Woody McBreairty. Looks like West Hollywood is Peoria in the making. Soon we will be no more than a pass through route for Los Angeles & Hollywood to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Creative? Me thinks not
In response to Oleff’s impression there is a high demand for a preschool in this area, note the following: There are no families with children over the age of 2 in our 1,000 home neighborhood or the immediate vicinity N/S of Sunset. He said the new Sunset Millennium at La Cienega will have many families. This studio/1BR/2BR rental complex is being marketed to adults and has no family-friendly amenities such as a playground. The 90069 zip code (inc. LA above Sunset) has only 300 children under 5 out of 20,000 residents, per the US Census Bureau for 2015. There is… Read more »
I can’t think of a more ridiculous place for a pre school. I’m incredulous that it’s even being proposed, as is absolutely everyone I know here. It’s the continued disintegration of the world famous Sunset Strip, once one of the most exciting world class destinations in the U.S., as it is needlessly transformed from the exciting & distinguished to the common & mundane… and, in a word, boring. It simply doesn’t belong there, period. To say there would be no traffic problems is ludicrous. Schools always generate long lines of the cars of parents coming to drop off & pick… Read more »
is there no limit to the insane demands of the neighborhood associations in this city.
Jeeze – give me a break.