Two representatives from One Beverly Hills, the $10 billion luxury residential, hotel and retail development project underway at the gateway to the city on Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards, fielded questions from the Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board about the impact of construction on nearby El Rodeo Elementary School at the board’s Oct. 21 meeting.
Many parents and members of the community have expressed concern about how demolition, excavation and building will affect the school and surrounding areas.
Following a presentation from the One Beverly Hills representatives, questions from members of the board and Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss focused on dirt and dust exposure from construction, as well as the impacts of noise and privacy.
Addressing one of the primary concerns of parents—that potentially harmful dust and dirt was being generated and making its way to the school—Lauren Eckhart Smith, the senior vice president of development with One Beverly Hills developer Cain International, said that the demolition phase of construction is complete.
“Our demolition activities, which I think have generated most of the concern … is complete,” she said. “There were two buildings … that were part of the Beverly Hilton that have been demolished as part of the development to make way for the botanical gardens.”
Samson Debela, the senior project manager with Turner Construction, the company overseeing building work, said that to mitigate and monitor the impact of dust and dirt, the developer has set up a monitor at El Rodeo that takes data about air quality at five-minute intervals. If dust and dirt surpass a designated threshold, a representative is notified through a phone app, and a phone call is placed to the principal of the school and the city.
Data is collected in real time.
To date, the air quality has not triggered the alarm. In the case of the alarm going off, Debela said, work would stop, and in addition to the school being notified, an investigation would be undertaken.
No hazardous materials are present in the buildings being demolished, Debela added, and if they had been, they would have been removed prior to demolition.
Board Vice President Judy Manouchehri requested that the developer contribute to “very tall trees” being placed at the exterior of the school, and to monthly air filter replacements.
Smith called the trees “a great suggestion” and committed to exploring the idea. Debela added that a 16’8″ sound wall will be erected within the next couple of weeks to mitigate noise.
Board Member Dr. Amanda Stern noted the city’s recent commitment of over $500 million in bonds to help finance the development.
“We really do expect that safety and comfort of the staff, the teachers, the kids absolutely is ensured,” she said. “That is a great amount of money that has been given … many residents and those who are parents and teachers and staff are well aware of the $550 million Mello-Roos indebtedness, and I hope and trust you guys will continue to take care of our kids and the staff who are inadvertently right there.”
Cherniss said that he still has apprehension about the project.
“For the next three years, I’m concerned not just about the kids we have, but potentially about families turning away from enrolling in our schools because there is this big project here … I’m not convinced this is a positive for El Rodeo or our school district yet, and I hope it is,” he said.
In other business, residents expressed during the public comment period concerns about how cuts to federal special education funding may impact the district, and again asked the board to adopt a resolution combating racism against Black and Hispanic individuals.
Kimberly Lifschitz, whose child is a student with special needs, asked the board to take action to keep services intact.
“I am once again reaching out to this board to beg it to do its job … these programs are actually, genuinely life changing for students and families, even if they don’t come with Nike-branded spirit packs,” she said.
District parent Teairra Harris requested during public comment that the board adopt a resolution proposed by members of the community to combat anti-Black and anti-Hispanic prejudice.
Harris, whose daughter recently entered BHUSD as a freshman, said her daughter witnessed several boys laughing and joking about the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, in a classroom last week on or around what would have been Floyd’s birthday.
“She was uncomfortable, it created tension, she was very tense, and she was also angry and confused about how someone could find murder, let alone police brutality, comical,” said Harris, adding, “To have [a resolution] like this passed would be a godsend.”
