Agreement Paves Way For New Carmel Valley High School
by Councilman Scott Peters
February 2003
One of my priorities
for keeping and improving the quality of life in Carmel Valley is to create
more open and uncrowded spaces. Places where we can hike with our kids,
play soccer and lacrosse, and swim in the ocean are all important to Carmel
Valley families. We have made significant progress in all of these areas
with the opening of three new parks, a 45% reduction in beach closures,
and construction of a new trail network that will begin soon. However, the
most common complaint I hear about crowding in Carmel Valley is about Torrey
Pines High School, which is bursting at the seams. Although school issues
are not within the purview of the City Council, I recognize the importance
of schools to our community and I have tried to help wherever I can to improve
the quality of life for Carmel Valley students.
That is why I am
pleased to announce that the City of San Diego, the San Dieguito Union High
School District and Pardee Homes have come to agreement on a land swap that
will allow construction of the new high school in Pacific Highlands Ranch
to move forward. The construction of this new high school will take much
of the pressure off of Torrey Pines high school, reduce class size and give
students a better environment for learning.
Some time ago,
the school district came to the City with a request to reconfigure a plan
for a park site near where the new school will be built, near the future
intersection of Camino Santa Fe and SR 56. The school district said that
their original school design did not fit correctly into the current parcel.
The district suggested that the proposed park site be moved to accommodate
the school. Unfortunately, this was not an easy land swap. Instead it required
serious negotiation between the City, Pardee Homes and the school district
to make everything work. All sides worked well together to iron out their
differences, because they were working toward the common goal of helping
our kids. I was pleased to be able to bring the parties together and make
sure that this agreement was completed as quickly as possible.
On Monday the City
Council passed an amendment to an agreement with Pardee Homes that will
ensure that the school district gets an appropriate site for their school
and that the City of San Diego will continue to get a central location for
the community park in Pacific Highlands Ranch at no additional cost to the
taxpayer. The school district is in the process of purchasing that new park
site, which is adjacent to the original site, and Pardee Homes has submitted
grading plans to the City, which include the grading plans for the school.
The upshot of all of this is that we have removed the barriers to the development
of the new school, while preserving an excellent park site for the future
families in Pacific Highlands Ranch.
I was pleased to
be able to help broker a creative solution to move forward on the construction
of the new high school. By working together and striving toward a common
goal, we were able to come to an agreement that will make a big difference
in the quality of life for Carmel Valley students and families.
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