Corona del Mar Today: Landmark sued for discrimination

The bad news: Construction also is expected to begin across the street at Our Lady Queen of Angels, meaning that traffic and parking problems will be a fact of life, at least temporarily.

At the recent CdM PTA meeting, Karen Yelsey of the Newport-Mesa Board of Education said the board this week approved selling of bonds for the Corona del Mar theater and enclave projects.

"We should start construction, or beginning some work, this summer as soon as school is out," she said.

A parent in the audience asked about how construction and staging of construction equipment could affect parking, particularly in the senior lot, once school begins in the fall.

Principal Tim Bryan said that parking has been a topic of discussion, especially because Our Lady Queen of Angels is close to beginning construction of its new church across the street.

A meeting was held this spring, he said, to coordinate construction schedules and make plans for parking.

"They really have done a lot of work to make sure we're not stepping on each other's toes," he said.

Plans are in the works to create temporary parking lots on grassy areas along Mar Vista, he said.

"We're going to be impacted no matter what," he said. "All driving students will be impacted."

Currently, the pool lot could be designated as student parking only, with faculty and visitors restricted to the front lot, he said.

PTA members at the meeting also requested that the district website be updated with the most current iterations of the plans.

The theater and enclave projects are being funded through Measure F, which voters approved in 2005 and which already paid for projects including the Newport Harbor Loats Theater. Corona del Mar High School will get a new theater, and the campus will be changed to accommodate an area for middle school students.

The theater project is expected to cost about $18.9 million, and the enclave has a budget of $23.2 million, district officials said.