SAN FRANCISCO - The city of San Jose, Calif. and the Santa Clara Unified School District on Friday celebrated their $80 million joint purchase of 81 acres of land to use for schools and park development.
The property, previously owned by California's Department of General Services, once housed the Agnews Developmental Center, a state mental institution.
San Jose contributed $16 million for 21.6 acres, and the district contributed the remaining $64 million for 59.4 acres, less mitigation costs, according to a statement from the school district.
The city plans to develop a regional park on its portion of land and the school district will use its 59.4 acres for school development.
Proceeds from a school bond passed in 2010 will fund the district's portion of the property. A second $419 million bond measure, on the November 2014 ballot, would fund school construction at the property.
The city will fund its purchase with revenues from construction and conveyance tax and parkland dedication ordinance fees.
"Today is a day of celebration," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who attend the event Friday. "The difficulty of two organizations coming together to negotiate with a third governmental association cannot be understated."
The city, district, and state held the event to celebrate the transfer of property, which was made official on June 30.
The district has been in need of land to develop schools as enrollment projections for the next ten years are expected to exceed the capacity of current schools. Plans include an elementary, middle, and high school—with a possible combination of the elementary and middle school into a K-8 campus.
"We have one final hurdle to tackle," said Stanley Rose, Santa Clara USD's superintendent. "Our community supported the purchase of this land through previous school bond funds. To build the schools, we must see the passage of Measure H on the November 2014 ballot."
