Gilroy
– The school district and a Gilroy developer are meeting Tuesday
to discuss a binding arbitration agreement for 10 acres of land, on
which the district wants to build a new elementary school.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – The school district and a Gilroy developer are meeting Tuesday to discuss a binding arbitration agreement for 10 acres of land, on which the district wants to build a new elementary school.
For more than a year, Gilroy Unified School District has pursued a site in the Glen Loma Ranch development in South Gilroy. Officials plan to build a replacement Las Animas Elementary School, which is needed by 2006 to prevent overflow at other schools from growing enrollment.
“I was trying to set out an agreement on the development factors that cover both properties to see whether we can have, in effect, a stipulation as to the physical factors: The size of the property, the development area of the property, costs associated with infrastructure, those kind of mundane things,” said John Filice, with the Glen Loma Group. “So that in terms of value, everyone will be looking at the same facts, so we should be able to reach agreement on those factors.”
The value of the land has been in question after appraisals on it ranged from $10.8 million to, most recently, $5.65 million. All the appraisals have been commissioned by GUSD.
“I’ve never hired an appraiser for that property because I’ve been waiting for (the district) to decide what they want to do,” Filice said.
GUSD has been looking at purchasing the so-called Greenfield site in South Gilroy near Luchessa Avenue and Santa Teresa Boulevard since early last year. As negotiations continued, Don Christopher donated part of a site near Greenfield, and in the same development, which the district then began to look at as a future home for the elementary school.
When the city asked the district to again look at Greenfield – which already has utilities and completed environmental reviews – GUSD approached Glen Loma Group again.
“They came back to us,” Filice said. “They could buy at any time – the county condemns property, the city condemns property.”
The district says it wants to avoid that process, if possible. Trustee Jim Rogers has called binding arbitration a “kinder, gentler” alternative to eminent domain, not to mention faster.
The district is already expecting to miss its planned fall 2006 opening for the school, and Assistant Superintendent Steve Brinkman said the condemnation process could take 12 to 15 months.
GUSD has discussed a “swap,” of the land donated by Christopher for its desired Greenfield site, although it would actually be a two-sale process.
“Our options would be to buy the Greenfield site outright, and they would buy the Christopher site from us,” Brinkman said, “or we could sell the Christopher site to someone else, or possibly not buy the Greenfield site.”
