9 Houses Will Be Razed for School

School officials, faced with overcrowded conditions in the area’s elementary schools, are planning to raze nine houses in southwest Pomona to make way for a new campus, angering some homeowners who claim that they cannot afford to move out of the neighborhood.

The school board has voted unanimously to acquire, through eminent domain, 10 acres of residential land--including one vacant four-acre lot--on the southwest corner of White and Grand avenues and to offer the owners market value for the property. A private firm has appraised the land at a value of $3,035,000.

The site will be used for a 20-classroom elementary school for about 600 students. The school, which will cost from $5 million to $6 million to build, is expected to ease the crunch at Lexington, Madison and Mendoza elementary schools in south Pomona.