Board mulls sale of Palm Drive property

The La Cañada Unified School District Governing Board will soon consider selling the former district office on Palm Drive, adjacent to Palm Crest Elementary School.

The property’s future has been the topic of workshops and discussions since 2005 when the district relocated to its new facility at 4490 Cornishon Ave., on the campus formerly known as Foothill Intermediate School.

“Staff will have the first reading of staff’s recommendation at the Tuesday, Feb. 26, board meeting,” said Superintendent Jim Stratton, in an interview this week. “We are recommending selling the property.”

Stratton said the district estimates the property is currently worth up to $1.5 million; an professional appraisal has yet to be ordered by the district.

School board President Susan Boyd said this week she has not made a decision on what to do with the property.

“I am waiting to hear the information the staff will provide,” Boyd said. “We have had several meetings with parents, community members and site administrators about the property.”

Boyd said she has listened to all who have shared their opinion on what to do to facilitate this matter but wants to hear the data provided on Feb. 26.

“And this is just the first reading,” Supt. Stratton pointed out. “The board can ask staff for more information with the second reading.” The second reading of the proposal to sell is scheduled for the following board meeting, scheduled for March 11.

Over the course of several board meetings, the community has shared their opinions with what should be done with the property including turning it into a park or selling it.

“[In the case of the park suggestion] it would be the city that would make that decision,” Stratton said.

Stratton and Boyd said that if the decision is to sell the property they would first offer the building to a public entity such as the city. According to City Manager Mark Alexander, the district has not approached the city with a formal proposal, although informally the district staff has mentioned the idea to city officials.

If the city were to consider buying the property there would be several steps taken before it could be purchased, Alexander said.

“We would have to put it on the city council agenda for discussion,” he said. “They would then want to evaluate the potential of the purchase.”

During previous school board meetings community members have made suggestions on what to do with the proceeds if the property is sold.

“We have just about everything in our budget prioritized,” the school board president Boyd said. “Those funds could not be dumped into the general fund.”

Boyd added that the board would refer to its Master Facility Plan, where all school business is prioritized.

The La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation, which raises funds in support of the district, is not taking an official stance concerning the property. But its president, Graham Stumpf, said that he would like to see it remain available to the public.

“Personally, as a resident, I would like to see this public property remain in the public fold, whether it gets used by the school district for educational purposes or it gets used by the community,” Stumpf said.

The Palm Drive property has had a roller coaster history. John G. Bullock and his wife Louise originally owned the home. It was their retreat from the growing population of Los Angeles, where their primary residence was located.

John Bullock died in 1933 and Louise married Attorney Russ Avery in 1936. Viewpoint continued to be used as a weekend getaway.

Alta Canyada grew to become La Cañada. The area had one school, La Cañada Elementary, but at the end of World War II the population growth required two more schools to be built; Paradise Canyon in 1949 and Oak Grove in 1952. Then the debate began within the community and the school board on where a fourth school would be located.

The majority of the community, according to Valley Sun newspaper archives and information provided by Stumpf, agreed that another school was necessary but the location was in question. There were several debates over an eight-month period as to the Viewpoint location and what the new school would mean to local residents.

Louise Bullock Avery threatened a lawsuit at any attempt at condemnation. But in early October 1953 the La Cañada School Board voted unanimously to acquire the property.

The board’s vote paved the way for eminent domain proceedings in Los Angeles Superior Court. The school board purchased the close to nine-acre property for $110,000 and Palm Crest Elementary was opened in 1956-1957.

The district rented out the house on the Viewpoint estate for many years before it became the district office. It has remained unoccupied since the district office moved in 2005.

“There are many great things this public property could become if we have the vision and will make it happen,” Stumpf said.