By Sara Cardine
La Cañada Unified school officials — in the planning stages of a $27-million Palm Crest Elementary School modernization set to begin next year — recently briefed neighboring homeowners on the details of the project and collected their concerns about possible impacts.
And after some back-and-forth about building heights, obstructed views and their consequent effect on privacy and home values, district officials agreed to let homeowners be involved with the project design, erect story poles to convey proposed building mass and notify the public of updates and timelines.
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“Typically, when you have so much grade change in a site it can be a hindrance to the design,” said Lance Hunter of LPA Architectural Consulting. “But at this particular location, it can actually be a gift in terms of how we develop the site.”
