Two purchases will be combined into a single 8-acre plot
SAN MARCOS — The San Marcos Unified School District board of trustees voted at last month’s meeting to purchase a second 4-acre parcel in the North City development, giving the district 8 contiguous acres near a planned public park.
A district spokesperson said the latest purchase, from Scripps Health for $12.3 million, completes the North City land acquisition that began 18 months ago with an initial purchase from North City Residential LLC for $12.5 million.
Both parcels are part of Lot 7 in the development, north of Discovery Street and west of Cal State San Marcos. The city set aside the two 4-acre parcels for the school district in the University District Specific Plan in 2009, giving the district the right of first refusal to purchase both.
The district will pay for the purchase with redevelopment funds from Fund 40, which state law designates for capital improvements and land acquisition.
The University District Specific Plan calls for up to 3,400 residential units, which could create demand for a new elementary school. The closest elementary schools to the newly acquired land are Discovery Elementary, approximately 1.5 miles to the west, and San Marcos Elementary, on the other side of state Route 78.
