The school—originally intended to be a high school—sits on 48 acres of land in an area where open space is rapidly disappearing.

Athletes of all ages—in school sports, weekend athletic leagues and community pickup games—currently use the 25 acres of open space on the Peterson property.

On June 8, a joint study session between the Sunnyvale City Council and the Santa Clara Unified School District introduced the idea of developing part of that open field space, but the question remained as to what could be built.

But residents neighboring the property are concerned that they will lose their play fields and their view of the hills to private development. In early June, residents received an anonymous flier stating that the school district intended to sell part of the land to housing developers. Some 30 angry residents showed up at the June 8 meeting to plead their case for keeping the play fields.

Roger Barnes, business administrator for SCUSD, said, "Someone stirred up a lot of concern by distributing those 700 fliers, and whoever he is started a lot of his own rumors."

He said the school district is looking to work with the city to better use the Peterson land, because the 25 acres of space is too much for it to handle and more than it needs, and may be more than it can afford to take care of.

Barnes acknowledged that private development is a possibility for some of the land, but it is at the bottom of the list of potential uses. Also on the table are a Pony League center and fields for baseball and softball, permanent fields for adult soccer leagues, and city uses, including a new community center. The land is so valuable, it could bring $2 to $3 million per acre for the school district.

School district staff members, including the superintendent and deputy superintendent, are currently working on a "white sheet" proposal, outlining what needs to be done and what can be done with the property. They also hope to outline potential uses from a list of proposals they have already received. Once a rough outline is created, the plan needs to be approved by the school district board of directors at their Aug. 3 meeting. If the plan is approved, a final white sheet will be drawn up by the district to be approved at the board's Aug. 26 meeting. The city council has to approve the same plan around that same time as well.

The district is planning a series of community meetings to discuss the process and ascertain what the school's neighbors would like to see done with the land.

"No decisions have been made, and there is a process we must legally follow before any are, and that process must include public input," Barnes said.

Barnes said the school district intends to keep 9 or 10 acres for school uses, which could include a track for running and other athletic fields. The remaining 15 acres would be divided into separate plots for other uses, ranging from permanent fields for youth baseball and softball, to community centers or even private development.

Before the land could even be offered to developers, the city of Sunnyvale and several other groups looking for open space would be able to bid on projects for the land. Even if the city passes on using the land, all permits and applications must go through the city, providing another guard against unwanted developments.