The Encinitas Union School District board took another step toward resolving the fate of at its Oct. 11 meeting, giving Superintendent Tim Baird the OK to finalize a request for proposals to develop the closed school site in downtown Encinitas.
The action comes less than a week after the school district filed a lawsuit against the Encinitas City Council, which to rezone the land for residential use earlier this year. Locals opposed previous mixed-use proposals for the 2.8-acre site under its current zoning for public use, and city and school district officials failed to reach a compromise on a proposal that called for residential development along with space for a community arts center.
The requests for proposals would comply with current zoning, Baird said before the meeting. If the district gets an offer that it finds acceptable, it would move forward with that plan and drop the lawsuit.
“We are pursuing both paths at the same time with the expectation that something will come together,” said Baird, adding that there is still a possibility of resolving the issue with the city before it reaches a courtroom.
