Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2009
Proposal to rezone part of Judkins Middle School site draws criticism
The district has suggested selling a field at the middle school for private development
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closeA proposal by Lucia Mar Unified School District officials to sell part of the Judkins Middle School site for private development was met with a chilly response Tuesday from the Pismo Beach Planning Commission and some local residents.
District officials are proposing to rezone a 3-acre field with an ocean view on the 19-acre school site from public use to medium-density residential, which the district would then sell to accommodate 10 to 12 homes.
Commissioners did not make a decision Tuesday, as the meeting was intended for the commission and the public to hear input and share their responses about the proposals. Commissioners expressed reluctance about taking land away from a school and about the possibility of rezoning public land into private land.
The sale could bring much-needed funds to the district, which could use the money for other facilities or possibly in its general fund. Currently, school districts are not allowed to use real estate funds for general use, but it may become possible in the future as state legislators are working out ways to provide funding to schools during the current state fiscal crisis, Superintendent Jim Hogeboom said.
“It seems that it should be apparent to everybody how in dire need school districts are for money,” Hogeboom said Wednesday. “With the budget crisis the way it is, we’ll look at any options that could bring the district revenue.”
Lucia Mar has struggled to offset a $9 million budget deficit for the upcoming school year and has done so by laying off more than 100 teachers and staff members, cutting services and increasing class sizes.
But some Pismo Heights residents questioned how much money the district would make, where the funds would go and how the area could accommodate more homes. District officials did not give an estimate on how much the land could be worth.
“The school district has my sympathy, but there must be another way,” said Pismo Heights resident Sheila Blake. “We just haven’t found it yet.”
Blake, like others at the meeting, expressed concern over setting a precedent if a public space is rezoned for private use.
Commissioner John Sorgenfrei expressed frustration that Judkins Middle School would not directly benefit from the sale because the funds would go to the district.
“If that school’s not going to benefit, it’s an issue for me,” he said.
Commissioners also expressed opposition to another proposal from the school district to sell a half-acre of nearby land on Bello Street to the city to be used for low-income housing. That parcel is also zoned for open space.
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