At its Dec. 2 meeting, City Council approved a Purchase and Sales Agreement with the Oceanside Unified School District for 3131 Oceanside Blvd., which formerly housed the Ocean Shores High School.
During the last year, the city and OUSD have been negotiating a sales price for the former alternative high school property. Originally appraised at $1,470,000 as of June 11, the city has now agreed to purchase the property for $1,830,000.
Council approved the agreement unanimously, which put the property into escrow. The city must now perform due diligence property investigations, which will include a review of title, an asbestos study, an environmental assessment, a building condition assessment and a land survey.
The city cannot spend more than $50,000 on its due diligence and has until Feb. 28, 2021, to complete it. The city has already been leasing the property for the temporary relocation of Fire Station 3. The property is centrally located in the city and has the potential to be used for various general-purpose city services, according to staff.
Public Works Director Kiel Koger suggested four possible uses for the property, which include the relocation of Code Enforcement offices to allow for the construction of Fire Station 1; establishment of a city vehicle fuel station, an emergency shelter with wraparound services to be operated by a non-profit partner, or relocation of the police training room from John Landes Park.
Councilmember Chris Rodriguez suggested that staff investigate the potential uses as part of its due diligence period.
“I think it’s in our best interest to really dig into the viability of any of these options and what that would look like so that we’re not just buying a property to hold and sit,” Rodriguez said, adding he would like to see the emergency shelter option be considered as the top option for the property.
Mayor Peter Weiss also agreed that he would like to see such information about the potential property uses prior to the due diligence period ending, but noted he didn’t need a public forum for such information unless there was something significant found in the process requiring such discussion.
City Manager Deanna Lorson said staff could put together some information about the potential uses by Feb. 3.
