Agoura Hills Extends Land Lease Option Deal With District

Thevoted unanimously Wednesday night to extend its option to lease land next to from the (LVUSD) for another three years, for the potential development of an affordable housing project on the site.

Under the agreement, the city is obligated to pay the school district $50,000 a year. At the district’s request, the council agreed to pay the three-year, $150,000 total upfront. 

“That was something that we requested, and the city said, ‘We can do it that way,' " said Gordon Whitehead, president of the LVUSD Board of Education. “This is a particularly onerous year, and this will give us support.”

The $150,000 is in addition to the more than $360,000 the city is giving to the school district this upcoming fiscal year through its Redevelopment Agency (RDA).

The meeting focused primarily on the land part of the deal, which continues the city’s option on a vacant, approximately one-acre parcel, on Easterly Road and Fountain Place, adjacent to the northeast corner of Agoura High School. The city pinpointed the property, owned by the school district, as a possible location for an .

Because Agoura Hills has an RDA, it is required by law to use a percentage of its funds for affordable housing. The three-year lease extension would give the city time to plan the project, whether or not it is built on the district-owned site.

Assistant City Manager Nathan Hamburger explained the importance of keeping the city’s options open, with the future of redevelopment agencies in California being unclear. He noted that there has been “proposed legislation to terminate redevelopment agencies,” and if they are kept, it is not clear which, if any, requirements of the agency will remain intact.

Given those uncertainties, ignoring the site as a possible location for affordable housing would be a mistake, according to Mayor Harry Schwarz.

“We are looking at other areas, but for us not to consider it—when we don’t know what’s going to be happening in the future, whether we can build affordable housing at any other sites in the RDA—would be irresponsible,” Schwarz said.

“Whether or not you agree with the RDA, whether or not you agree with affordable housing, it’s a fact of life,” said Councilman Denis Weber. “It’s a piece of law and we have an obligation to go forward with this.”

Three residents who attended the meeting—all of whom live near the district site—voiced their opposition to the project. Council members reiterated the point that the project would not necessarily be built on that parcel.

“What we’re talking about tonight is an option on that land for the next three years,” Schwarz said. “What that means is, we might build something or we may never build something.”