The fifth and final meeting to develop a site master plan for the future of Point Loma High School has been postponed until early next year, according to school district officials.
The change was announced in an email sent to previous meeting participants by the Facilities Planning & Construction Dept. of San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). The email was time-stamped Nov. 27 at 2:58 p.m.
No new meeting date has been set, but department officials promised to notify previous attendees via email when it is scheduled.
The district explained the need for the delay is to conduct a “traffic study/analysis to ensure the viability of the concept(s) proposed at the SMP (site master planning) meetings.”
The study is being done to assess community audience concerns about the proposed entrances to two new campus parking structures. The parking facilities would each have driveway entrances from Chatsworth Boulevard very near to a curve in the street.
Community members at a meeting on Nov. 20 had endorsed the construction of one parking structure to be built above the current staff parking lot on Clove Street. The structure would stand 1 1/2 floors above Clove Street after contractors remove a half-story of dirt below the current lot before building.
The second parking structure, including a student drop-off area, would be built on the site of the current main gym and cafeteria after the antiquated buildings are demolished. After construction, a new main gym, boys’ locker rooms, coaches’ offices and cafeteria would be built atop the parking facility.
Depending on how much area is covered by the Clove Street building, campus parking would be increased to either 513 or 539 spaces, when added to another parking structure proposed for the Chatsworth Boulevard side of the campus.
One goal of the structures is to take traffic and parking off Clove Street. Also, they would significantly raise the number of on-site parking spaces from its current number of about 140 to an ideal number of 614 as determined by David Thompson of AVRP Studios, the architectural firm contracted with SDUSD for the PLHS upgrade.
An audience member at the Nov. 20 session asked why such structures were being discussed when no traffic study had previously been conducted to determine whether main entrances on Chatsworth Boulevard, including left turns, would be safe.
Also awaited is an environmental impact report (EIR) on proposed stadium lighting at the 88-year-old school.
Originally set to be released at the Nov. 20 meeting, district officials instead said the report was not yet complete.
When issued, the EIR is considered a draft and, after a 45-day period for public review, can be adopted as final by the SDUSD board.
Also, a group has begun meetings to draft a mutually acceptable agreement on nighttime usage of the PLHS stadium if lighting is installed.
The parking structures and stadium lighting are among other campus upgrades that have been suggested by community members and implemented into revised drawings by AVRP Studios at each meeting.
The improvements will be paid for by Prop. S and Z funds.