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After months of intense discussions between Ladera residents and Woodland School, the Ladera Community Association and Woodland School signed a memorandum of understanding addressing key issues that sparked heated board meetings and a lawsuit.
The most contentious issue has been Woodland School’s exclusive use of a blacktop, playground and field. Woodland School and the LCA agreed that on school days, Woodland will have exclusive access to the blacktop and playground from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and to the field from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite the agreement between the LCA and Woodland, not all Ladera residents are satisfied. The lawsuit by Ladera Taxpayers for Integrity in Governance is still progressing. The group’s attorney, Ladera resident Susanna Chenette, requested the San Mateo County Planning Commission only issue a one-year permit until the litigation is resolved.
“This is classic ‘putting the cart before the horse’ and must not be permitted,” she wrote to the commission before the June 12 meeting. “Woodland cannot, by intentionally failing to disclose, use a county permitting process to terminate a public easement or the public’s rights to public property.”
“Such a result will end in (additional) legal action. More review, diligence, and research is thus necessary before the county authorizes Woodland’s proposed changes to its [county use permit] for longer than one year,” Chenette added.
The Las Lomitas School District filed a motion to dismiss Chenette’s lawsuit, calling it “ill-conceived, unfounded, and a waste of public resources.”
Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California will hold a hearing on the motion to dismiss on Wednesday, July 10.
The San Mateo County Planning Commission approved Woodland School’s conditional use permit, which was amended to follow the MOU, on June 12 despite the pending litigation.
“Not everyone is going to get what they want. But I think that the MOU gives everyone a little bit of what they want. We aren’t going to make everyone happy, but we have a job to do,” said Planning Commissioner Manuel Ramirez during the meeting.
The MOU allows the community to use the playground, the blacktop and the field outside of the set hours. Even though the school will no longer have exclusive use of the space, Woodland can continue to run its after school activities and summer program.
Woodland has also agreed to withdraw its plans for a new parking lot and limit parking on East and West Floresta ways. The school is permitted to use the field and some street parking during major and minor events.
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