Norwalk : Excelsior Pulled Off Market

Excelsior High School, a key redevelopment tract in the southern part of Norwalk, has been pulled off the market. The board of the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District has decided the district should not sell the 38-acre site now. “We need more time to decide what we’re going to do with it,” said Howard Rainey, district business administrator.

Closed because of a fall in enrollment several years ago, the high school is leased in part by the Grace Korean Church. Other buildings are used for school district programs, including adult education and job training.

After the district indicated it would be willing to sell or lease the site on a long-term basis, the school was included in the city’s new redevelopment zone.

Redevelopment director Michael Wagner said he is “fairly confident” that Excelsior will again be up for sale. “I don’t think the district’s need for money has changed and I don’t think the demand for high school facilities has changed.”