By Marianne Love
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, CALIFORNIA -- The proposed development of a
40,000 square-foot parking lot involving a nearby LDS chapel has
become controversial as area residents feel they have been left out of
the process. Two LDS Church members sit on a committee charged with
deciding what to do with the lot, currently used as parking for a
nearby public transportation station, but no residents of the area are
on the committee.
The city expects to purchase the lot by the end of this month, and
have approached local LDS Church officials about using the Church's
baseball field which is next to the lot. The city would then build
bleachers and a snack stand to the field, helping to alleviate a
shortage of ball fields in the city.
But some residents are opposed to the plan because they say it will
add noise and traffic to the neighborhood. The city's Parks and
Recreation Commission has now ruled that area residents must be on the
committee that will decide what to do with the lot, but the Commission
hasn't said how many residents should be added to the committee or who
the residents should be.
The City Council is scheduled to take up the matter on January 18th.
