Open Letter to Mike Bonin From Brentwood Homeowners Association Regarding Mount Saint Mary’s University ‘Wellness Pavilion’

Submitted by the Brentwood Homeowners Association 

Dear Mike Bonin, 

In view of the urgent need for you to provide input to the PLUM committee of City Council prior to its hearing scheduled for April 5, we call on you to adhere to your prior statements regarding the need to protect the Brentwood community from more traffic and wildfire risks to lives and property in our high fire severity zone. We are not opposed to a new gym that is limited to use by MSMU students. But the unusual location of the school requires the conditions and restrictions described below, none of which would diminish the education of the MSMU students. 

1. Enrollment 
The City Planning Commission Decision obfuscates the issue of an increase in student enrollment by stating that the Project does not include a request to increase enrollment. However, unless the City requires enrollment to be limited to current numbers, MSMU claims that it would be able to increase enrollment by approximately 40%. At our BHA annual meeting last year, you discussed the need for limits on MSMU enrollment and traffic. We are counting on you adhering to your statement: “their enrollment is 1500 and that’s where it’s going to stay.” The only way to make this happen is to include that 1500 cap as a Condition in the Plan Approval. We know of no school or university in the City existing in a residential zone by reason of a Conditional Use Permit that does not have an enrollment cap. 

2. Trip Cap 
At that BHA meeting last year, you recognized that fewer trips generated by MSMU were necessary to reduce the impact on the community, particularly in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Again, we are counting on you requiring an actual reduction of trips –not a reduction from MSMU’s original negotiating numbers or an outdated number from 2016 merely because that is when the environmental review process started. 

In a meeting in your Office, as part of an agreement with BHA, MSMU was willing to cap am-pm peak hour vehicle trips at 490 and cap daily average vehicle trips at 1,813. Since those were already the actual numbers in 2018, any higher number would actually be an increase in trips. And that is why BHA believes the daily average trip cap should be 1,600, which is only an 11% reduction, but in no event greater than a daily average trip cap of 1813. 

3. Construction Time
In 2015, in connection with Archer School for Girls, you said: “In order to ensure that 3 years of construction, in fact, means 3 years, I request the following: Construction of the entire project authorized by this grant shall not exceed a maximum of 3 years as measured from the date construction starts to the date construction stops.” MSMU says that its Project will take 20 months – the Plan Approval should include a Condition that construction of the entire Project shall not exceed 20 months. 

4. Summer Camp
MSMU (and you) states that its request is solely for a new gym for MSMU students. There is no justification, apart from an unlawful desire to commercialize the campus, to allow, in addition to a new gym for MSMU students, a new 12-week summer camp program that has no connection whatsoever with the school’s students or curriculum, and would be permitted to generate 236 vehicle trips per day. The proposed summer camp program or any other new programming in the summer months should be removed from the Plan Approval. 

5. Outside Guests
The purpose of the MSMU Project is a new gym for its students. There is no justification for any new special event that could be attended by outside visitors. Adding such events and the associated vehicle trips unduly burdens the surrounding residential neighbors with more traffic and increases the fire/evacuation safety risks in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The creative names for these events (“Health and Wellness Speaker Series”, “Club Sports”, “Other Wellness/Sports Activities”) does not change the fact that they have the potential to be attended only by outside guests who would be permitted to generate 310 outside guest vehicle trips per day. 

In 2015, you described Archer School as a great school that provides a transformative experience for many young women. But you added that “its stellar reputation does not erase the considerations created by the complicated location of its campus.” Archer School sits on Sunset Blvd, which you described as “one of the worst traffic choke points in the City.” All MSMU traffic starts and exits the hillsides on the same stretch of Sunset Blvd. But MSMU’s location is much more “complicated” by its location with only one means of ingress and egress over 2 miles north of Sunset Blvd. on winding narrow roads through a residential neighborhood in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. All new outside events that could generate vehicle trips by persons who are not students, faculty and staff of MSMU should be removed from the Plan Approval. 

We are counting on you to do the right thing and protect your constituents, which can be done without diminishing the ability of MSMU’s deserving students to enjoy new athletic facilities.

Related Posts

Santa Monica College to Perform “Seussical (Theatre for Young Audiences)”

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The 75-minute family-friendly musical, set in the Jungle of Nool, follows Horton the elephant as he protects a speck of...

Congressman Secures $14.5M for Westside, San Fernando Valley Projects

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The initiatives address wildfire mitigation, public safety, housing, and community services Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) announced that a key...

California Sues Trump Administration Over High-Speed Rail Funding Cut

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Newsom described the move as a “heartless attack on the Central Valley,” threatening jobs and livelihoods Governor Gavin Newsom announced...

Venice Family Clinic Slams HHS Funding Restrictions as Assault on Immigrants

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

HHS announced on July 10 that it would restrict access to programs like community health centers, Head Start, and other...

Former Hammer Museum Director Receives Getty Prize, Awards $500,000 to NPR

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Philbin’s tenure at the Hammer saw the launch of the Hammer Projects series and the Made in L.A. biennial, alongside...

Salt & Straw Celebrates Ice Cream Week with Strawberry Shortcake Waffle Cone Through the Weekend

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The item launched nationwide, available with any ice cream flavor or as an exclusive sundae featuring Strawberry Honey Balsamic ice...

LAX Metro Transit Center Boosts K Line Ridership, Overall Metro Sees Slight Decline

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The station completes the K Line, allowing continuous service from Expo/Crenshaw Station to Redondo Beach and enhancing regional connectivity through...

City Launches Free RAMP Webinar for Small Businesses

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The online event aims to help small businesses tap into procurement opportunities across Southern California through the RAMP platform The...

Man Arrested in Brentwood for Impersonating Firefighter During Palisades Fire

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The suspect faces at least 28 criminal counts—including 23 felonies—spanning incidents from 2023 to May 2025 Federal and local law...

West Coast Premiere of ‘The Opposite of Love’ Opens at Hudson Backstage Theatre

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Produced by Neil Gooding Productions, behind shows like Back to the Future: The Musical, the play runs Thursdays through Saturdays at...

Study Highlights Economic Impact of Cap-and-Trade Extension in Los Angeles

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders are pushing to reauthorize the program this year, citing its role in generating 287,000...

Controversial Rebuilding Authority Delayed by Sen. Allen

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

The pause follows concerns raised weeks ago when the proposal sought to create an agency run by political appointees to...

Mayor Bass Hails National Guard Withdrawal as Victory for Unity

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

The Pentagon’s decision to reduce the troop presence follows weeks of legal challenges and public demonstrations Mayor Karen Bass celebrated...

DUI Checkpoints to be Conducted Across LA This Weekend

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The LAPD selects checkpoint sites based on data indicating high incidents of impaired driving-related crashes and arrests The Los Angeles...

Fire Survivors Urged to Shape Rebuilding Efforts with Digital Feedback Platform

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The initiative, launched in February, marks California’s first large-scale use of a dedicated digital tool to gather wildfire survivor feedback...