School district exercising eminent domain process

The action follows a school board decision in March authorizing such a maneuver, as officials suggest the Bayshore property is among the few suitable locally to serve as the new home to Peninsula Alternative School.

Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth McManus said the move comes as officials have worked alongside the property owner to acquire the site, and said the two sides are staying in constant communication throughout.

“We are trying to make this work for the property owners as well as the district,” she said. “We are taking things in a very methodical way.”

The site east of Highway 101 is the right spot to move the school currently located at the former Crestmoor High School campus in San Bruno, said McManus, who is part of the administrative team which has long worked to relocate the continuation closer to the heart of the district.

As it stands, students face long bus rides to reach the alternative high school and officials believe that a more centralized location would better meet their needs.

Noting most students rely on public transportation to get to school, the site’s easy access to BART, Caltrain and bus routes makes it a desirable location, said McManus.

The Burlingame site holds the additional benefit of proximity to local employers who could offer jobs to those who need to work as well as attend classes, McManus said.

“The bottom line is, we want students to come to school every day. And being in a business park, we find this to be a wonderful opportunity for students,” said McManus.

Officials have had limited success negotiating terms of a deal with property owners Herbert Wei and a variety of parties affiliated with a trust owning the land, McManus said.

As a result, officials started the process of seizing the property under state law allowing public agencies to acquire land which will be used for public benefit, so long as the owners are fairly compensated. Following an appraisal, school officials set aside $5.6 million to buy the land. The district is also responsible for paying relocation costs for any businesses or people displaced by the acquisition. Essence Printing cites the property as one of its two Peninsula locations, according to the company website.

McManus noted the property was for sale within the past year, but has since been pulled from the market. She said she expects Wei to get the land appraised as well, which could inform future negotiations.

Officials in March approved a resolution allowing the legal process to begin, claiming the site is one of the few suitable pieces of land available locally at a reasonable price to accommodate the school.

Should the process unfold as intended, the new facility comprised of nearly 15,000 square feet spread across two-story modular buildings should be completed by 2020, officials have said.

High school district officials have worked for years to find a new home for the district’s continuation campus. Recently, they were hopeful to move it onto property on Rollins Road previously rented from the county Office of Education as a temporary home for Design Tech High School, but reconsidered when a suitable deal could not be reached with county officials.

For the Crestmoor campus, officials have suggested they may be interested in selling a portion of the land to finance construction of housing for teachers. But the plans discussed last year were put on hold until a suitable home for the continuation site could be identified.

Board President Linda Lees Dwyer has said the housing development could be brought back following construction of the new continuation campus, but would not address the proposal until the first step of the facilities shuffle was completed.

Regarding the Burlingame property, McManus said officials consider it the right spot for the continuation school considering its proximity to students’ homes as well as job opportunities.

“We feel this is really aligned with the students and getting into the mode of thinking about future careers and where they want to go and getting them excited about that,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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