A
city-owned parcel off Crestview Drive isn't the only site the San Carlos
School District has set its eyes on for a potential new campus.
The Black Mountain land was inadvertently listed on the agendas for a joint meeting of the San Carlos City Council and San Carlos School Board, which had been scheduled to discuss a possible property sale or swap that would allow the district to move the Charter Learning Center to the four-acre Crestview Drive site.
In their first order of business, however, the council and school board voted to remove the Black Mountain site from their respective agendas because they had neglected to notify the public that district-owned land behind Tierra Linda Middle School might come up in property transaction discussions. City Attorney Greg Rubens and County Counsel John Beiers had advised them that Tierra Linda couldn't be added to the agendas at the last minute so the scheduled negotiations would have to be postponed until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
After the meeting, schools Superintendent Craig Baker acknowledged to The Daily News that the district is looking at the Black Mountain site, although the Crestview parcel is its preferred option.
The Black Mountain land had recently gone back on the market after a deal with a potential buyer fell through, Baker said.
John McLellan, a senior associate with Colliers International's office in Redwood City, confirmed that the real estate agency is handling the sale of the Black Mountain Spring Water properties -- four parcels at 800, 804, 806 and 808 Alameda de las Pulgas that make up a total of about 11.46 acres.
"The signs just went up today," McLellan said during a phone interview Thursday.
A price hasn't been set for the property, which is between Madera Avenue and Melendy Drive. "We're going out to the market on the price," McLellan said. "If you're interested, bring us an offer and the highest price wins."
Although the land is steep in some areas, it does have several level spots including a "really nice pad against the Alameda" and another flat area about halfway up the hill, McLellan said.
The school district wants to move the Charter Learning Center off the Tierra Linda campus so it can build a new school in its place for fourth- and fifth-graders to alleviate crowding at its elementary schools. Last month, Baker approached the city with a proposal for a straight no-cash swap -- the Crestview site for the land behind Tierra Linda. A majority of council members rejected the offer, though, saying the city-owned land is more valuable.
The city countered by offering to sell the district its Crestview lot for $12.4 million, which could be paid off interest-free over 35 years with annual payments of $354,286. But Baker told city officials the district couldn't afford that and suggested a new round of negotiations. The district has also considered relocating the Charter Learning Center to the Arundel or Heather elementary school campuses.
Should it decide to swap or sell the Crestview lot, San Carlos would have to ask voters to remove it from parkland status. Last week, the council scheduled a "protest hearing" on June 30, a first step required by state law in case the city later decides to put the question on the November ballot.
Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger@dailynewsgroup.com; follow her at twitter.com/bonnieeslinger.
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