Sentinel staff report–
Citrus Heights council members are scheduled to hold a closed-door session this Thursday to negotiate “price and terms of payment” for the now-vacant former Sylvan Middle School lot at Sylvan Corners — but city leaders aren’t saying much in advance of the meeting.
“It’s a closed session item; I just can’t comment on it,” said Citrus Heights Mayor Jeannie Bruins, reached by phone on Saturday after the City Council’s meeting agenda for April 25 was posted online Friday afternoon.
Asked whether prior comments from council members about the city’s desire to purchase the 13-acre property in order to re-sell it are still true, Bruins confirmed that is “still true, absolutely.”
Although the city’s agenda packet for its regularly scheduled April 25 meeting is nearly 100 pages long, only a brief six-line description is listed for the closed session item.
Document: see the April 25 agenda packet
The description lists the property under negotiation as 7137 Auburn Blvd., which was formerly home to Sylvan Middle School until it was demolished in 2017. The city manager and several city officials are listed as agency negotiators and the negotiating party is listed as Frank Camarda, who serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Facilities and Transportation for the San Juan Unified School District.
The final line of the description reads, “Under Negotiation: Price and Terms of Payment.”
Related: Citrus Heights City Council approves first-ever $12M line of credit
City leaders have shown interest in the property at Sylvan Corners ever since the aging school was demolished two years ago, but it wasn’t until the council approved a first-ever $12 million line of credit last year that a potential purchase of the prime chunk of land was made possible.
Purchase of the Sylvan Middle School property was noted as one of the “big ticket” items requiring the city to take out a line of credit. Councilman Steve Miller previously said the goal in purchasing and re-selling the property would be to break even financially and have “a full say in what happens there.”
Specific preferred future uses at the property have never been publicized, although Miller previously said the city is “over-saturated” with retail and has said a medical office building or mixed-use housing could be possible best uses.
In public comments and letters, community members have also suggested future uses for the property ranging from a sports complex, neighborhood market, dog park and even an expansion area for the adjacent cemetery.
The council is slated to hold its closed session meeting to discuss the matter at 6 p.m. on April 25, followed by a regularly scheduled council meeting at 7 p.m.
Share your thoughts on the future of Sylvan Corners: Click here to submit a letter to the editor for publication.
Sentinel staff report--
Citrus Heights council members are scheduled to hold a closed-door session this Thursday to negotiate "price and terms of payment" for the now-vacant former Sylvan Middle School lot at Sylvan Corners -- but city leaders aren't saying much in advance of the meeting...
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