Ritter Ranch Makes Its Offer of a School Site More Inviting

The deal simply got too sweet to resist.

The Antelope Valley Union High School District will join the developer of the massive Ritter Ranch project in persuading the state Department of Education to reconsider its consultant’s rejection of a 50-acre site Ritter is willing to donate to the school district.

Hoping to harvest the many carrots Ritter is dangling, high school district trustees agreed Wednesday night to the alliance with the developer.

“I think it’s in our best interest for this district to work with the development community,” said board President Steve Landaker.

After the state consultant this summer rejected the site offered by the developer because of access problems, proximity to the San Andreas fault and high-voltage power lines, and other problems, trustees told district staff to find a new high school site within or near the 7,200-home Ritter development.

Without state approval of the site, the district is not eligible for state funds to build the school.

At the time the consultant rejected the site, Ritter, besides paying the state-mandated impact fee, was offering just to donate the 50 acres, located north of Elizabeth Lake Road near 50th Street West. But on Wednesday night, Ritter Ranch upped its offer.

Ritter General Manager Peter Wenner presented to trustees three options that could even have the developer constructing a 2,000-seat stadium.

Ritter is also willing to do all the grading, bring utilities and water lines to the site, pave sidewalks, install lights on the steep access road and provide a paved secondary access for emergency vehicles.

All the developer’s offerings, however, depend on the school district accepting the 50-acre school site. The district would have to buy any other land it wants.