Wondering what lies in store for the future of the 13-acre property at Sylvan Corners, once home to the now-demolished Sylvan Middle School?
In a new development since March, Citrus Heights Mayor Jeff Slowey confirmed in an April interview that the city has met with school district representatives and formally expressed interest in buying the property.
“We have told the school board we are very interested in the property… that we would like to buy the property,” Slowey told The Sentinel. While he and other council members have previously expressed personal interest in the city acquiring the property, this marks the first formal step the city has taken towards buying what the mayor called “a strategic corner.”
“I’m not a proponent of lots of city-owned properties, but if you own it you have better control over what happens,” Slowey said, stating that the city’s interest is in buying and then selling the property in order to have a greater say in who would develop the property in the future.
In public comments and letters, community members have suggested future uses for the property ranging from a sports complex, neighborhood market, dog park and even an expansion area for the adjacent cemetery.
Related: “Letters: homeless shelter, cemetery expansion, Citrus Heights dog park?”
Asked about the sports complex, Slowey said, in his view, “it’s gotta have some return on the investment.” A banker by trade, Slowey is known for his fiscal-focused decisions on the council.
“Unfortunately, while a sports facility is good for the quality of life, it doesn’t contribute to the city in other ways,” said the mayor, noting Citrus Heights has little undeveloped land available for commercial use. “That’s why I gotta look at the economic side versus the quality of life side.”
While discussion between the San Juan Unified School District and the City of Citrus Heights has been initiated, a decision on the future of the property has yet to be made and the city is not guaranteed to be the buyer.
SJUSD Board Member Saul Hernandez told The Sentinel on Thursday that the old middle school property has “a lot” of interest from the community. He said the board approved the formation of a surplus property committee earlier this year and appointed a team of “predominantly Citrus Heights citizens” to serve on it.
He said the committee has been charged with making a recommendation to the school board regarding the disposition of the property, as required by state law, but said a recommendation has not yet been made. The committee is slated to meet twice in May.
City Manager Christopher Boyd confirmed discussion has been made with the school district about the Sylvan property, but did not provide details about a closed session meeting with the city and school district officials held last month.
Asked whether the city has priority over other parties who may be interested in the property, Boyd said there’s a lot of misinformation and myths about a “pecking order” for who gets priority in purchasing school district property. He said the issue is complex enough that he hired an attorney with expertise in education code and summarized his findings as, “it’s not that simple.”
Boyd said staff are currently “exploring options” regarding the old Sylvan property and said by mid-June he expects to know “what options are not only available but also viable for both organizations,” referring to the city and school district.
For the latest update on this story, see: Update: SJUSD moves forward with plan to sell old Sylvan school site
