SAN MARCOS — The San Marcos Unified School District has entered into a land exchange agreement with the luxury spa resort Golden Door, allowing both parties to expand their operations.
The agreement, approved by the school board on Feb. 12, states that SMUSD will give Golden Door a long-vacant property at 567 Deer Springs Road. In exchange, Golden Door, located just outside the San Marcos city boundary, will acquire and give the district a vacant property at the corner of Cassou Road and North Twin Oaks Valley Road.
“We developed an agreement with Golden Door Properties, in which they will acquire this property and subsequently exchange it for the Deer Springs Road property,” said SMUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Erin Garcia.
SMUSD officials said the district bought the 28-acre Deer Spring Road property many years ago, but it remains undeveloped and has never been used. The lot is adjacent to the 600-acre Golden Door property.
According to the agreement, Golden Door will also pay the district $325,000 to cover the difference in value between the two properties.
The 1.2-acre lot the district will get is adjacent to the alternative school, Twin Oaks High School, and close to other district property, including Twin Oaks Elementary School and the Agriculture Farm.
Deputy Superintendent Tiffany Campbell said the property will allow for flexible uses.
“It’s likely to be in the realm of helping either our expansions happening at our alternative school, where we have an adult school also on the same property, or CTE [Career Technical Education], which is our most likely possibility,” Campbell said.
The Coast News has reached out to Golden Door for comment.
This will be the school district’s second property acquisition in the last month. In January, the school board authorized the $12.5 million purchase of four acres of land in North City.
In 2022, Golden Door purchased a 2,000-acre site across from its property on the other side of Deer Springs Road to be conserved as open space.
