Over the summer, due to renovations in the upper parking lot, Sage Hill School added 11 Clean Air Vehicle parking spots near the flagpole in the student lot.

When the parking lot was first constructed, no laws had been passed to require Clean Air Vehicle parking, but with the recent renovations to the lot, it had to be brought up to code, in ordinance with the California Green Building Standards.

Students with both Clean Air Vehicles and an approved sticker gain access to parking in the spots, which is in very close proximity to the Peter V. Ueberroth Gymnasium.

“I think that [the spots] are beneficial for students who drive Clean Air cars. They are easily abused though, so if they were more enforced, they’d be better,” said sophomore Michael Justice.

Many students cannot park there despite some of the spots remaining vacant, and some students feel as though having the spaces reserved for more expensive Clean Air Vehicles is unfair to students who can’t afford these types of cars.

“It’s giving priority to those with cars that are expensive, and it’s not accessible to everyone,” said sophomore Claire Lin.

However, in 2010, according to the California Green Building Standards, the laws for non-residential buildings were updated to include a law which stated that buildings must provide designated parking for Clean Air Vehicles. The law states that buildings, such as Sage Hill School, which have between 101 and 150 total parking spaces, must convert 11 of them to Clean Air Vehicle parking.

“I understand students being upset because [the spots] are prime real estate, but it’s being dictated to us,”  said Jon Poffenberger, Dean of School Life. “It’s not our decision of where they’re at or how many they’re at. It was part of the master plan we had to follow.”