HUNTINGTON BEACH

Ocean View School District’s closed Rancho View school site could be the next neighborhood hardware store if the board votes in favor of signing a 65-year ground lease with Eagle Hardware and Garden on April 13. The site, on 12 acres near Beach Boulevard and Warner Avenue, was built in 1957, converted to a district office in 1979 and permanently closed in 1990.

The district has been involved in exclusive negotiations with Eagle Hardware since January, Ocean View Supt. James Tarwater said. Eagle and district officials have agreed that if a development agreement is signed, all fees and expenses associated with the project will be paid by Eagle, as well as an additional $4,000-per-month holding rent until construction begins in about a year, Tarwater said.