Los Angeles School Board to Sell Surplus Santa Monica Mountains Site
The Los Angeles school board has decided to sell eight acres in the Santa Monica Mountains near Brentwood and use the funds from the sale to relieve overcrowding.
Appraised three years ago at $4.5 million, the surplus school site on Old Ranch Road in the Sullivan Canyon area was acquired through eminent domain in 1961 when population growth indicated the need for a new school in the area, said Byron Kimball, who oversees district building. But, according to Kimball, growth leveled off and the property was never developed.
The land was tied up in litigation until earlier this year by neighborhood groups and conservationists who did not want to see the property sold to private developers, Kimball said. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy also had attempted to acquire the land for park purposes but found the $4.5-million asking price prohibitive.
Kimball said the district plans to reappraise the property, which is zoned for one house per acre. No buyers have been found.
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