Soka Pushes On in Quest to Expand

Soka University of America officials said Friday they will continue their quest to expand the liberal arts campus in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains, despite an encounter with a new stumbling block.

At a six-hour hearing Thursday of the California Coastal Commission, opponents argued vehemently for the panel to deny Soka’s application, reminiscent of earlier public hearings on the project.

After much debate and confusion, Soka officials asked the panel to continue the discussion to a future meeting, giving the college time to work out issues brought up by commissioners.

The main issue was the 90-acre institutional buffer zone contained in an amendment to the Malibu/Santa Monica Mountains Land Use Plan, which some commissioners said would be an easy target for future expansion of the university.

Commissioner Fran Pavley also said she objected to the configuration of the campus and would prefer the buildings to be clustered together in the central portion of the land, rather than spread out on nearly 60 acres.

Some commissioners urged their colleagues to approve the project on the basis of the university’s offer to donate 383 acres of its 588 acres to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, an arm of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Soka officials said after the meeting they are willing to work with the commission to gain approval, but added there is no room to reconfigure the plan to cluster the buildings.

To appease those who fear future growth, campus officials also offered to cap the student enrollment indefinitely at 650 full-time students and 150 students enrolled in extension classes.

Opponents also questioned the need to expand the college, since construction is underway to build a second Soka campus in Orange County.

But Soka spokesman Jeff Ourvan said Friday the Calabasas campus is expected to be a specialized language school for graduate students or a college prep school for high school students. Orange County’s Aliso Viejo campus plans to accommodate undergraduate and graduate students.