WOODLAND HILLS : Board Backs Plan for Golf Range at College

Moving to pitch Pierce College out of the financial rough, the Los Angeles Community College District has approved preliminary plans to build a golf driving range on the northeast side of campus within a year.

Under a plan unanimously approved by the district’s board Monday night, the college would allow a driving range of up to 10 acres near Victory Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue, in exchange for about $160,000 a year or improvements to the college.

However, Pierce President Mary Lee said the range would probably be much smaller than the maximum size. She said more than a dozen firms have expressed interest in bidding on the project, which would cost about $1 million.

More detailed plans, including a study of the impact of the driving range on the surrounding neighborhood, will be reviewed by the board later. Lee said she hopes that a developer’s plans are in place so that construction can begin in the winter.

The project would be the largest commercial venture at Pierce, which is reeling from budget cuts and falling enrollment.

Approval of the proposal comes as Lee, who took over as president in mid-April, has developed a blueprint to help make the college more financially stable and popular with its neighbors, including plans for a high-tech movie theater and planetarium, museums and exhibits.

“As far as I’m concerned, every project has to serve the students and the community,” Lee said. “For instance, the students who take golf classes will be able to use the golf driving range.”

Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization President Robert Gross, who said nearly a year ago that he would oppose any commercial venture on the northeast side of campus, adopted a more conciliatory tone.

“We’ll have to wait and see what proposals come out of this” Gross said, “what the impact of this project is going to be, as well as whether it will truly benefit the students. Our biggest concerns are traffic, parking and lighting.”

At its meeting Monday night, the board also approved more than $1 million in repairs to the Pierce library and the men’s and women’s gymnasiums, which were damaged in the Jan. 17 earthquake.

Lee said the library is scheduled for repair before the beginning of the fall semester, with reopening of the gyms during the semester.