Mountain View City Council has renewed two contracts for Los Altos School District’s (LASD) new 10th school site, providing more time to complete the site’s construction due to pandemic delays.
The council members voted in a 4-2 decision at the Sept. 9 council meeting to extend the Funding Joint Use Agreement (FJUA) – a LASD partnership agreement with the city to purchase Kohl’s department store in 2019. The FJUA will also allow the city access to the school’s facilities such as play areas, gymnasium and outdoor sports fields. The Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Agreement – a contract that was created in 2018 to allow developers to obtain unused property at $130 per square foot – will ensure LASD and the city will split profits 50%.
The FJUA is expected to expire on Sept. 30, 2030, and the TDR agreement will expire on Jan. 29, 2039. The council will also hand over property rights to the school district once the contracts conclude.
The two dissenting votes were from Councilmembers Emily Ann Ramos and Pat Showalter, who both expressed that there should be more outreach with the neighborhood community that surrounds the site and to be clear what student community will be using the site.
“As the leaders of the community, there are a lot of things we need to consider
besides just money,” Showalter said. “I do think these neighborhoods and social considerations are quite vital, but at the same time, I recognize we have a good relationship with the Los Altos School District, which is great. I hope that continues and I would like to see another round or two of negotiations before this is passed.”
According to the LASD San Antonio Site master plan, it is expected to be a K-8 campus with three two-story buildings placed throughout the campus, one multipurpose building and a gymnasium.
Lenka Wright, the chief communications officer for the city of Mountain View, said the city is still waiting to hear back from the school on which community it will serve. She said the partnerships between the school and the city enable new development that will support both the school district and the nearby residents. She said that the sale of the TDR could provide a total of $79.3 million in proceeds.
She also said there are additional agreements, such as the FJUA and Open Space Park Property Transfer Agreement, in which the city and LASD provided $23 million to fund four acres of joint use recreational and open space and two acres for a public park.
“City and LASD staff have successfully worked together on a master planning process to determine the location of the public park and the layout and design of the joint use facilities,” Wright said. “This strong collaboration on the planning and operation of the joint use area will continue.”
She said the city’s total contribution is $43 million, with $23 million for the
four-acre joint use area and $20 million for the two-acre public park. She said the extension of the two contracts will support the overall development of the site.
