School Needs Funds, May Sell Land for Homes

In a move that could generate up to $3 million for Anaheim Union High School District, two developers this week proposed building homes on about 5 acres of the Kennedy High School campus.

School trustees are considering selling part of the 48-acre high school property in La Palma for a housing development. Money from the $3-million sale would go to campus improvements, such as a new electrical system and swimming pool.

“Kennedy High School needs some upgrades--and we don’t have the money in our coffers,” Harald G. Martin, the board’s president, said.

Said Richard V. Godino, attorney for the district: “They have some major capital needs, and unless they do something like this, they have no way to solve their problems.”

Kennedy’s athletic fields and tennis courts, located on the proposed building site, would be moved elsewhere on campus, Godino said.

The district received a dozen proposals from housing developers but narrowed the field to Kaufman and Broad Coastal Inc. of Newport Beach and the Olson Co. of Seal Beach, Godino said.

Kaufman and Broad is proposing 39 single-family homes, priced from the low- to mid-$200,000 range, on the site along Crescent Avenue near Walker Street in La Palma. The Olson Co. is proposing 29 homes with prices ranging from $320,000 to $370,000.

In April, homeowners near Kennedy and some city leaders voiced concern about building houses on the campus, saying that such a development would reduce open space. Both developers told the school board they would work closely with residents to ease concerns.

The school board is expected to review the housing proposals in September. If the board decides to sell the site for development, the housing project selected would be subject to city approval.