Council Approves Home Development at Former School Site

An agreement to develop 59 homes on the demolished Harper School site on Santa Ynez Street won City Council approval this week.

The 14.9-acre lot, covered in weeds, exposed utility lines and other unattractive signs of vacancy, has been unoccupied since low student enrollment forced the Fountain Valley School District to close the campus in 1984.

Council action permits the district to sell the $7.2-million parcel to developer Kaufman and Broad Coastal Inc., said Larry R. Crandall, a school trustee.

Plans call for three- to five-bedroom homes on 7,200-square-foot lots. Prices are to range from the low- to mid-$300,000s. Construction should start in the next several months.

“This is hopefully the finest community we will be developing this year,” said Richard Douglas, a representative for the developer.

Kaufman and Broad plan to pay the city about $390,000 to build roads, street gutters and other infrastructure.

The project is not without its detractors. A group of residents who live near the site complained to the council that traffic flow will increase to unsafe levels, particularly near Harper Park at Bluebird Avenue and Santa Isadora Street, where children play. They also said street outlets designed for the tract were inadequate to handle an estimated 560 car trips per day.

“Safety needs to be an issue,” said resident Rich Sanders. “It’s not so much the development but that [traffic] outlet.”

The council directed police to look into traffic issues.

Though they pressed for safety around the park, many residents, including Sanders, generally supported the overall project, saying the upscale homes should increase neighboring property values.

“It’s the school district’s right to develop that land,” said City Councilwoman Laurann Cook.