Alternate Site for Santa Ana School Likely

Santa Ana school officials have dropped plans to acquire a 40-acre parcel adjacent to a proposed McDonnell Douglas facility in the southeast corner of the city and, instead, have negotiated an agreement to obtain another, smaller site for a new high school, officials said Monday.

The Santa Ana Unified School District and the Santa Fe Land Improvement Co., owner of both sites, reached agreement for the district to acquire a 25-acre, vacant site at 1400 S. Grand Ave. for the city’s fourth public high school, Joan Wilkinson, president of the Board of Education, said.

The agreement is contingent on the city’s approval, Wilkinson said, and Mayor Daniel E. Griset said the city will “not contest their selection.”

Last month, the board decided to build the school on 40 acres immediately north of the site of a proposed multimillion-dollar McDonnell Douglas Corp. office and high-technology center--a decision that jeopardized the aerospace firm’s project and prompted an immediate lawsuit from the city.

On Monday, Robert Young, McDonnell Douglas executive vice president for real estate, said the project now can proceed, provided that “we finalize all of our agreements with the city and Santa Fe.”

Agreement Called Breakthrough

Although final agreements have not yet been reached, “I don’t anticipate that we won’t be able to,” Young added.

In a prepared statement, district officials said direct negotiations were initiated “last month, in an effort to find an alternative site,” since the original choice “threatened plans for the location of McDonnell Douglas Computer Systems Co. in Santa Ana.”

Wilkinson called the agreement a “breakthrough,” and added, “The school system is extremely crowded and and must build new schools.”

The site is on the east side of Grand Avenue, between Edinger and McFadden avenues. The rejected site was south of Edinger Avenue at 1800 S. Grand Ave.

Construction funds for the school will come from the state, which recommends at least 40 acres for a high school. A 10-acre, county-owned parcel lies directly across Grand Avenue from the selected site, and the county has “indicated a willingness” to sell it to the district, said Anthony Dalessi, assistant superintendent.

The district has not yet decided on a split campus, but the 10-acre parcel could be used as a parking lot or athletic field, in conjunction with the 25-acre main campus, he said.

Supt. John Dunworth said a final agreement with Santa Fe on the site would “require a firm commitment from the City of Santa Ana that it will not attempt to also block the acquisition of the alternate site.”

Meeting With City Attorney

Mayor Griset said the City Council met behind closed doors with the city attorney on Monday to discuss the agreement. “We authorized the city attorney to communicate with the school board, indicating their revocation of the 1800 S. Grand Ave. site would cause us not to contest their selection,” he said.

“We expect that McDonnell Douglas and Santa Fe have clear sailing to conclude their agreement,” Griset added. “The board’s efforts deserve congratulations. Both the city and students stand to win with this new direction.”