Saratoga News

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North Campus to be rezoned for public use

By Jason Sweeney

In the aftermath of the Measure J vote on June 7, the Saratoga City Council has rescinded earlier actions that prepared the North Campus for sale to developers. Seventy-five percent of Saratoga voters voted "no" on Measure J, nullifying the $6.75 million sale of the former church property to developer Majid "Mike" Masoumi and ensuring it cannot be put up for sale for at least one year.

Without comment or fanfare, the council voted 4-0 on June 21 to withdraw and rescind a tentative subdivision map approval that had rezoned the property from public-use to residential housing. Mayor Norman Kline was absent.

The June 21 vote also directed the planning commission to consider and report to the city council on a General Plan land-use map amendment that would change the designation of the North Campus property from medium-density single-family housing back to public facilities use.

With the sale of the North Campus blocked, the city and the community must now decide what to do with the property. Funding has been allocated for maintenance of the property for the fiscal year, but no money has been allocated for other uses.

The city council will decide what to do with $890,900 in "one-time" funding at 6 p.m. on July 6 at the Saratoga Senior Center. The funds come from repayments from the state of California and from a workers compensation settlement from the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith hopes to see some of the one-time money designated for improvements to the two main buildings at the North Campus. Waltonsmith and Vice Mayor Aileen Kao were in the minority on the city council, voting to retain the North Campus and not sell it to a developer. Waltonsmith said the outcome of the Measure J vote vindicated her stance.

The two kitchens and the bathrooms in the main buildings need to refurbished, Waltonsmith said, and new rugs could be put in. "Between the two buildings, I think we'll get 5,000 to 6,000 square feet of space. It's no major rehab. It's just spiffing them up. We can do that in a couple months and get them up to be useful.

"I know groups are already going to the city wanting to rent the buildings. The longer-term issue is what to do with the front two buildings that need more money and more work. Right now, they're just being used for storage, but they could be used for the public, too."

But with other interests competing for the $890,900 in one-time funds, the council may decide not to put the money to the North Campus. Whatever the council decides to do with the money, Waltonsmith is pleased the North Campus remains in the city's possession and has been preserved, for the time being at least, for public use. "It was confirmation of what I had been hearing in the community," she said. "The community didn't want to sell it. They want to use it."