City Seeking to Buy School Site for Park
A proposal by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to rezone the Monte Vista School site for residential development has been shelved temporarily.
The item was pulled from Monday’s City Council agenda because the city is negotiating with the school district to buy the property and convert it into a park.
The school district put the site up for sale in December, citing the need to raise money for repairs at other Newport-Mesa schools. Originally, the district said it hoped to make about $3.5 million, but city officials said they hoped to negotiate a lower price.
Mayor Joe Erickson said negotiators for the school district and the city will meet again this week. Though no deal has been struck, he said he hopes the two can reach an agreement, citing a shortage of parkland in eastern Costa Mesa.
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