Campus Expansion
Jewish Educational Trade School (JETS) will soon be redeveloping the former Jewish Community Center site located at 16601 Rinaldi Street and 16554 West Halsey Street in the community of Granada Hills in Los Angeles, California. JETS plans to redevelop the site with a vocational boarding school and also provide the community with some of the programs and services offered by the former Jewish community center.
The project plans entails remodeling the existing 15,053 square foot former Jewish Community Center building and demolishing two existing associated buildings.
JETS intends to construct three new buildings, including a culinary arts building with a subterranean garage and a gymnasium and classroom building. The project will be registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification requirements.
Spring of 2009
The entitlement process for the proposed JETS project started in the Spring of 2009 and took approximately 18 months to complete. Our ongoing community outreach was an extensive effort to introduce the project and engage the public in the entitlement process. As a result, a number of meetings were held with the neighbors, the office of Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith and the Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council.Fall of 2009
In our continuing effort to outreach to the Granada Hills community, the JETS team held the first of two Community Open Houses in the Fall of 2009. All of the neighbors within 1,000 feet radius of the project site were invited to learn about the proposed plans for JETS. The JETS team also met with representatives of our immediate neighbors including the North Valley Charter Academy, the Rinaldi Convalescent Hospital, the Granada Hills Masonic Lodge #378, and the Episcopal Church of St. Andrew & St. Charles.Summer of 2010
Second open house at the end of the summer of 2010. Again, all of the neighbors within 1,000 feet radius of the project site were invited to learn about the proposed plans for JETS.August 16, 2010
Our biggest challenge was working with the Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council (GHNNC). However, the JETS team worked patiently and hard with the GHNNC and successfully obtained a motion from their Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUM) to their Board to approve the Conditional Use Permit to operate JETS with all of the conditions that PLUM requested. That motion was passed and approved on August 16, 2010.August 17th, 2010
The first public hearing before the City’s Hearing Officer was held at the Marvin Braude San Fernando Valley Constituent Center on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010. At this hearing no decisions were made, instead it was the Hearing Officer’s opportunity to collect testimony and additional information for the project.August 30, 2010
On August 30, 2010, the GHNNC Board approved PLUM’s motion with a 20-0-2 vote and produced a formal letter on behalf of GHNNC to the City Planning Commission in support of the proposed project.October 28, 2010
The second public hearing was held on October 28, 2010 before the Los Angeles City Planning Commission who voted 7-0 to approve the requested entitlements as conditioned.December 21, 2010
The action of the City Planning Commission became final on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 with no appeals. This success would not have been possible without the ongoing support and communication with the Office of Councilman Greig Smith, his staff and the Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council.Spring/Summer 2011
Construction on the new redevelopment plans are expected to begin shortly.