SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : School Board May Create Tax District

The Capistrano Unified School District has taken the first step to create a special tax district to fund a new school and county roads for the planned Las Flores community east of Mission Viejo.

In a unanimous vote, the district Board of Trustees last week accepted a request by the Santa Margarita Co., which will develop Las Flores, to create a special Mello-Roos tax district for the future 1,000-acre community.

Under the proposed Mello-Roos tax district, future homeowners in Las Flores would pay an average of $1,064 per year, or 76 cents per square foot, for a new school and roads. Commercial owners would pay about $11 per acre.

The special tax district, which is being created in cooperation with the county, will be the subject of a public hearing on Dec. 21. The district would raise about $13.7 million for the school, about $6.5 million for roads and about $2 million for future school rehabilitation, according to district officials.

The ceiling on what the special tax district could collect would be $30 million.

“It will provide the finances to support the school facility needs from the new community,” said David Doomey, district director of facilities funding.

Typically, such taxes are charged over a 30-year period, although a specific time frame has not yet been set for the Las Flores district, Doomey said.

When finished, Las Flores will include about 2,500 residential units and some commercial development, according to the Santa Margarita Co. About 600 students in kindergarten through 12th grade are expected to live in the community, school officials said.

This would be the fifth special tax district created within the Capistrano Unified School District to pay for new schools.