San Bruno's Crestmoor High School campus will be sold

At the same meeting, officials examined a potential bond designed partially to generate revenue which could be pooled with the property sales proceeds to finance construction of a teacher housing project.

Board President Greg Land offered measured enthusiasm over the board’s decision to move toward selling the campus in San Bruno once the district’s alternative program and maintenance facility operating there are relocated.

“I’m cautiously optimistic, it’s property that has been underutilized for a long time,” said Land, noting reservations expressed by some in the school community regarding the effort to sell the site.

Addressing concerns that once the district sells the land, it will likely be impossible to acquire later if needed, Land expressed confidence the school system has adequate space available to accommodate future enrollment growth.

Also related to the community’s perspective on the matter, Land said officials directed those helping facilitate the sale to work with residents near the campus to ensure the potential sale does not impact their quality of life.

A primary issue raised by San Bruno residents is assuring field space offered at the site is preserved. Land said officials are dedicated to assuring the community will keep its soccer fields, while leaving the door open to the possibility that the design of the fields may change.

“It may look different, but we need to provide some options,” he said.

Initial plans envision a residential developer acquiring the 40-acre site where single-family homes could be built. Officials have suggested that excluding the fields from the site would limit the value of the land, and hosted previous discussions about an opportunity to move them elsewhere.

Uncertainty also lingers over where officials might look to build a teacher housing development which Land said could be aided through a potential bond measure examined by officials.

Officials previously examined building the housing at Mills High School, but Land said more discussions are occurring with other local school districts which may be willing to partner.

To that end, he said officials may be interested in collaborating with another district which could contribute land while the high school system could offer some financing to build the development.

“We wanted to look at different sites so it doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said.

Related to the bond, officials examined a potential measure which could generate $385 million if approved by voters. Officials have discussed floating the tax during the upcoming spring election.

Beyond an opportunity to raise money for the potential teacher housing development, Land said bond revenue could also be used to finance safety improvements such as updating old campuses. Officials have also suggested the tax money could help pay for a new video camera surveillance system, which could be helpful in cracking down on vandalism.

Considering the variety of initiatives which could be addressed with additional revenue, Land said he believed the tax could be an asset for the district as it navigates through a facilities overhaul.

“There is still work to do that I think is important for our students,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105