Escondido board views options for new high school

By: PAUL EAKINS - Staff Writer | Wednesday, November 16, 2005 11:58 PM PST ∞

ESCONDIDO ---- Many questions still remain about the latest sites being considered for a new high school, Escondido Union High School District trustees say.

At the school board's regular meeting Tuesday night, which went past press time, ending at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, trustees addressed the concerns of more than a dozen community members who had spoken at the meeting.

The comments came after realtor Terry Jackson presented five possible sites for the district to consider for a fourth comprehensive high school for 2,000 students in Escondido.

Trustees have been searching for more than three years for a 50-acre site for a campus and has hired Jackson to scout out some new locations. In August, trustees rejected the last three of seven sites that had been considered, following much public outcry about each location.

In interviews Wednesday, trustees said some of the five new sites clearly were unlikely locations for a high school, while more information was needed on others. Trustee Jon Petersen couldn't be reached for comment.

Board President Pam Grosso said a property at Washington Avenue and East Valley Parkway could be too costly because of grading, and the fact that a housing development called Eureka Ranch is now being built there. Grosso said she was interested in a site at Vista Avenue and Centennial Way because no homes are located on the land.

Trustee Charlie Snowder said the viability of a site at El Norte Parkway and Washington Avenue largely would depend on whether the current owners of two properties there ---- Henry Avocado Co. and the west side of the Eureka Ranch development ---- were willing to sell.

The El Norte Parkway site had some of the most vocal opposition at Tuesday's meeting.

Trustee Tina Pope said she thought only the El Norte Parkway and Vista Avenue sites had potential. The other three sites have too many homes and churches on them, or would be too costly to build on, she said.

The two sites Pope named, plus the Washington Avenue site had potential because all three were relatively far from existing high schools, Trustee Kurt Marler said.

While the board considers the new sites, another one remains in the wings.

Not all trustees have completely ruled out a site that previously had been considered and rejected by a majority of the five-member board. Generally called the Del Dios/Dorn site, the 80-acre property is at Del Dios Highway and Via Rancho Parkway. Earlier this year, neighbors launched a massive campaign to dissuade trustees from buying that land.

On Wednesday, Snowder called the Del Dios/Dorn property "a viable site."

"We're still having more conversations about it," he said.

Grosso said a strong argument remains for having a new high school in the southwest part of town ---- where the Del Dios/Dorn site is ---- because that location would put a school well away from other high schools.

When the board rejected the site in February, Snowder and Grosso voted in favor of it. This week, two of the three who voted against the site said they that can't definitively reject it.

"Until you get down to the very end, and you know what's available, and what the pluses and minuses are, you can't rule out the possibility," Pope said.

Marler said the additional traffic that the school would bring to the already busy Del Dios Highway had been one of the main points of contention. If that problem could be solved, he said, "half the opposition to the Dorn site would go away."

Another, previously undiscussed idea for a high school site also was mentioned at the meeting.

Pope said that with the planned construction of a 340-home development in the Harmony Grove neighborhood west of Escondido, perhaps builder New Urban West could be convinced to sell 50 acres.

At Tuesday's meeting, trustees directed realtor Jackson to return to the board's next meeting Dec. 13 with three new pieces of information: whether New Urban West, the owner of Henry Avocado Co. or the Eureka Ranch developers would be willing to sell their properties.

Five sites under consideration:



  • 60 acres at Felicita Road and West Citracado Parkway: 76 parcels with 67 owners. The site contains single-family homes, the Bethel Baptist Church and vacant land.

  • 61.44 acres at Birch Avenue and Bear Valley Parkway: 30 parcels with 23 owners. The site contains St. Paul Lutheran Church, residential single-family dwellings and vacant land.

  • 64.06 acres at Washington Avenue at East Valley Parkway: three parcels with one owner. The site is being graded for construction of the 340-home Eureka Ranch development.

  • 87.55 acres at El Norte Parkway at La Honda Drive: 18 parcels with 11 owners. It contains residential single-family homes and the Henry Avocado ranch.

  • 74.57 acres at Vista Avenue at Centennial Way: five parcels with 11 owners. The site contains single-family homes and agricultural and vacant land.

    Contact staff writer Paul Eakins at (760) 740-5420 or peakins@nctimes.com.

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    Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

    Marilyn wrote on Nov 17, 2005 9:41 AM:Bear Valley Parkway is noted for schools, it seems. Also for increased traffic aimed toward the Casinos in Valley Center area,and the Wild Animal Park to the east. Please consider the traffic flow - Orange Glen High School deposits onto Bear Valley, a church/mission on a hill, L.R. Green Elementary, Bear Valley Middle School, San Pasqual High School, a preschool/nursery school, a Catholic Church, and the LDS Church. Please draw you own conclusions, or better still, try to get around at any time of day on Bear Valley Pkwy before or after school. Consider where there is housing density and please put the next high school near the students!

    Mark wrote on Nov 17, 2005 10:53 AM:The Dorn site is the ideal site for many reasons. First, it is located far away from the other high schools. Secondly, New Urban West is building almost a thousand homes nearby. Traffic problems can be alleviated with more lanes being devoted to traffic at the site. Most importantly, the entire community will benefit of the spectacular views that can be seen above the lake. If we let some out of state developer have their way, only 34 rich families will ever be able to see the view. Please let Escondido have a high school it can be proud of. Tell the selfish Dorn neighbors to think of the entire community instead of themselves. Think of the children too.

    Becky wrote on Nov 17, 2005 4:52 PM:Traffic to and from the "Dorn" site (Del Dios Hwy at Via Rancho Pkwy) would be a huge problem for area residents and commuters alike, even if students are required to ride buses or other mass transit to school. Both Via Rancho Parkway and Del Dios Highway are already carrying too much traffic during commute time. This site is also pretty far from projected student population growth at the north end of town. And I don't see how the community will benefit from the spectacular views. High school campuses aren't typically open to community members. What happened to the idea of having several smaller campuses? Or putting the new high school farther to the north?

    Janet wrote on Nov 29, 2005 5:57 PM:Many questions need to be answered about the Dorn site. Who is going to pay for the massive changes to the roads there? The county has said they are not. Has the city agreed to pick up the multi-million dollar tab? The site is away from the other schools because it is in a low density area at the far corner of the area being served. How many students live within a reasonable distance of this site? Third, what is the real cost going to be to develop this site, which is quite rugged? A realistic number is needed here, not a guess that doesn't consider the site. Fourth, why do we need these enormous schools that provide around 1700 square feet per student? For the record, I don't live in the Del Dios area, nor do I commute through there.

    Tina wrote on Dec 10, 2005 12:44 PM:Please consider that the Vista Ave. location is not the best of sites compared to the others mentioned for the following reasons: This neighborhood already has two highschools (Calvin Christian and Escondido High)within a mile and a half of this proposed site. Our kids have these two high schools to choose from. It is not our neighborhood that needs the new school. Why wouldn't you locate a high school in an area where it is needed. Currently all of the high schools in Escondido are located east of the fwy 15 there is a greater need for one on the west side where New Urban West is developing a several hundred home project. Why build a school so far from the neighborhood that will be using it? Another issue will be safety. The Vista Ave. site is quite rural, while plans for a medium sized housing tract are being worked on as we speak, there will still be a lot of rugged, agricultural and undevelopable land surrounding the proposed school site. That poses a concern for the safety of the students from wild animals, sexual predators (that could easily hide out) and wild fires (as there is limited access to and from that site. Of course, Escondido is growing so needless to say, traffic issues will be a problem anywhere you build the new school.

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