Parking Barricades Removed, Promenade Mall Still Pursuing Lawsuit

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, CA — Parking barriers blocking patrons of the Norris Theater from using the parking structure adjacent to the Promenade on the Peninsula mall were removed, but Stoltz Management and the mall are still pursuing the $1 million lawsuit, parent Jennifer Clinton said.

The barriers were removed last week as an "act of good faith" from the new buyer, Clinton said. Previously, Stoltz Real Estate Partners claimed the use of the parking for Palos Verdes Performing Arts' Conservatory, which was created in 2006 and serves as an educational center for young kids in the South Bay, is considered trespassing and a breach of the contract.

At the Oct. 11 City Council meeting, City Attorney Don Davis said the city council issued a notice of violation to Stolz Management and The Promenade LLC requiring them to maintain a parking agreement that was contracted in 1981.

"I'm very sorry that we are where we are," Mayor Frank Zerunyan said during the meeting. "I think I speak for my colleagues that our disappointment is endless. I hope you understand that we heard you."

The city ordered the removal of the parking barriers, threatening civil action against Stoltz and the Promenade if they didn't comply. Though the city took action, the original $1 million lawsuit persists and trial is set to begin for the issue on Oct. 31, Clinton said.

"We're not equipped to pay a million dollars or anything of that sort to end the lawsuit... which would essentially bankrupt a nonprofit theater," Clinton said.

When the Promenade was developed in the 1980s, a contract between the developer and PVPA established a parking arrangement that allowed the theater to use a certain number of parking spots in the structure and a nearby parking lot. There has been no incident in the past 40 years regarding parking between PVPA and the different owners the mall has had over the years.

Clinton said Norris Theater and the Conservatory are well-loved by the community, so the thought of losing them to this conflict is heartbreaking. As a teacher in Palos Verdes, Clinton remembers taking her students to go see productions there where they learned about the goings-on backstage of the shows.

"I've learned a lot about theater and theater kids, and to see this happening to this group of people, it's pretty heartbreaking," Clinton said.