Ukiah Unified Properties Discussed at Special Board Meeting

The Board of Trustees agendized this meeting to discuss the status of the school district properties. This meeting was designed to learn only, not to take a vote or make a decision.  Anyone wishing to view the meeting can view it on the UUSD Live YouTube channel.

During the meeting, Scott Sheldon of Terra Realty Consultants provided the Trustees with a status update on the project. Terra Realty has been assisting the District for the last 18 months to evaluate options for the former school sites. Extensive research done on each property was reviewed, and several options for the properties were outlined. 

Trustees asked questions and discussed potential options, including land exchange transactions for the Hopland and Redwood Valley properties, and heard input from over a dozen community members who submitted a Comment Form. Terra Realty recommended that the best choice for the properties was to market the properties for exchange with another property for District use. The benefits of exchanging a property would mean the District would no longer need to pay to maintain the property and create new revenue to support local education.

Under Education Code, an exchange transaction permits the District to exchange a surplus site for a different property or properties. The exchanged property can be income-producing for the District or address other District needs based on enrollment projections or administrative uses. 

Previously, Ukiah Unified formed 7-11 committees to determine the best use of the Hopland and Redwood Valley sites. The purpose of a 7-11 Committee is to advise a governing board, based on community input, regarding the use or disposition of school buildings, space, or property that is not needed for school purposes. The individuals on the committees included teachers, neighbors, and City officials. The committees analyzed the best and highest use of each property, and considered the revised FEMA Floodplain designation that precludes reopening the Hopland property as a school. 

The 7-11 committees made recommendations to the Board about how to handle the properties based on their recommendations, declining student enrollment, and financial needs. In 2018, the Board voted to declare both sites as surplus. Declaring a school site as surplus means the District does not anticipate needing this property for school-related uses. 

The current process to decide what to do with the surplus property included multiple meetings with community groups, civil engineering studies, research and discussions about values with local brokers and appraisers, meetings with officials from the County of Mendocino, engaging a title company, discussing options and potential values with developers, and the use of environmental consultants were all things that went into the recommendation to market the properties for exchange with another property for District use,

“This meeting is a continuation of our 2-year-long process to fully understand and investigate all options to determine the best possible use of these properties. We are working to best serve our students, families, and our community,” said Anne Molgaard, UUSD Board of Trustees President. “Empty schools don’t serve anyone.”