The Saugus Union School District asset management advisory committee is set to meet Wednesday to discuss potential options for the site of Santa Clarita Elementary School after postponing its meeting last month due to the Hughes Fire.
According to the timeline provided in the meeting’s agenda, the committee needs to complete Step 3 to move forward in the process. The committee will be presented with the alternatives for what could be done with the property and ask legal counsel additional questions about the options.
In October, according to a previous Signal report, residents of the district said that one of their main concerns was that the district would sell the land to a developer, and it would be turned into housing or another business that they said would have negative effects on an already impacted area. District officials have said that is not their intent.
Of the options that are going to be discussed, Option 1 would be to surplus the property and would require the district board to declare property surplus by adoption of a resolution and offer the property to public entities – local and state entities, University of California Regents, California State University, or a public housing authority.
District Superintendent Colleen Hawkins said that the mention of housing on the agenda item is a formality due to legal requirements and the committee and the district are not considering the housing option because community members have made it known they do not want the property to be used for housing.
“The information included in the presentation for public agency offering requirements is merely what the law requires the district to notice. It includes at least six agencies that must be noticed by law,” she said.
Saugus residents have made a variety of suggestions for the property that they say would benefit the community, such as an additional park, library space, child care facility, or a senior center.
All comments made by the community can be found on the district website.
Option 2 would be to either short-term or long-term joint-use lease the property to a public agency.
The next steps for the committee would be to answer any remaining questions and begin drafting the report that will be presented to the governing board. The committee will not be taking any action at Wednesday’s meeting.
