District Acts to Seize Property

Determined to build a new high school and armed with strong community support, the Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously agreed Tuesday to use its power of eminent domain to condemn a key piece of land in the Taylor Yards area north of downtown Los Angeles.

The decision to take the property for a 2,300-student high school came over the vocal objections of Richard Meruelo, a politically connected developer who bought the 23-acre site near the Los Angeles River in Glassell Park last spring.

One of the largest landowners in downtown Los Angeles, Meruelo would like to build housing, offices and stores on the former railroad yard property, a project he described to the board as “better than just a school.�

The Los Angeles Unified School District had been eyeing the property for several years before Meruelo purchased it, but moved slowly out of concern about possible contamination. Meruelo stepped in a year ago after the previous owner grew tired of waiting for the district.

The district must now file a lawsuit laying out the necessity of building a school on the site. If a judge agrees, Meruelo will still have the right to litigate for a fair price.

He has argued that the school should be built on adjacent land occupied by a Federal Express shipping facility.

Leaders from the surrounding Glassell Park and Cypress Park neighborhoods strongly urged the school board to move ahead, saying the area desperately needs a new high school to relieve severe overcrowding at three nearby campuses.

Roberta Trotman, a member of the Cypress Park Neighborhood Council, argued that, because the land is vacant, acquiring it for a school is “really a no-brainer.� The only consequence, she said, is “a rich developer makes a little less money.�

George Brauckman, president of the Glassell Park Improvement Assn., said the community does not want “some half-baked plan like Mr. Meruelo is suggesting� for the property. “His actions are shortchanging our kids ... and classrooms at Eagle Rock, Franklin and Marshall high schools remain overcrowded.�

The only other speakers who argued against the school project were an executive and two employees of the Kia car dealership next to the property.

One of them, Kenneth Dixson, said high-speed Metrolink trains, which run on tracks between the property and the river, would pose a major hazard.

Before the vote, Meruelo urged the board to amend its resolution to allow for the discussion of a joint-use project. He proposed building the school mostly on adjacent property. The idea was rejected.

Kevin Reed, the district’s chief counsel, called Meruelo’s concept an “11th-hour proposal� and warned that going back to the drawing boards could add as much as $10 million to the project’s projected $162-million price tag.

Board member Mike Lansing said the district should move forward with plans for the high school. “This is the right spot. It’s an opportunity to meet the needs of children,� he said. “Under no circumstances should we back off.�