School Board Agrees to Sale of 36 Acres

A housing developer has purchased a 36-acre parcel at Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Street from the Simi Valley Unified School District for $14 million.

Although the district’s growing student population mean it may have to turn surplus properties into schools sometime soon, officials said the sale to New Urban West was necessary.

It provides the district the cash to put up its share of Proposition 1A school construction bond money, which was approved by California voters in November.

The school board unanimously approved the sale.

School board member Caesar Julian said he had “grave doubts” about selling the property until district lawyers and consultants assured him that the profits could be used for the district to claim its share of the state bond funds.

“[If] anyone . . . can maximize their holdings to that extent, it’s worth doing,” Julian said. “It takes the sting out.”

By staking the $14 million, the district stands to collect as much as $56 million in state funds to repair and update its schools, including one or more of the four elementary schools it closed in the early 1980s.

Under the guidelines of Proposition 1A, the state pays 80% of a district’s costs for certain school improvements and 50% for new construction.

Simi Valley district officials say every school except Wood Ranch Elementary is eligible for the state supplements because they are at least 25 years old.

Board member Carla Kurachi said she believes the district could have gotten more for the property if the city and district had been able to jointly develop the site, but she nonetheless expressed support for New Urban West.

“Not only are they a responsible bidder but also a responsible builder,” Kurachi said.

New Urban West is the developer of the 700-unit Long Canyon housing project. The builder also bought the land for that development from the school district.