SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego Unified School District is moving forward with plans to build a new elementary school in the Civita neighborhood of Mission Valley.
In May, the District approved a plan to purchase land from Civita developer Sudberry Properties. Now, SDUSD has plans ready for a 2-story, 24 classroom campus, full of modern amenities. It will be able to hold 5-600 students.
"With new development in the area, we expect new families to come in. Those families are going to need an elementary school to attend," says District Facilities Communications Supervisor Samer Naji.
"Right now if you live in Mission Valley and have a young kid, you gotta drive out of Mission Valley to get them to school and get them from school. So a local school for those families is absolutely necessary," Naji adds.
Sudberry has plans to build 5,000 new homes in the neighborhood. That, combined with other development on the north side of Mission Valley, is expected to bring a population boom. The District says they're trying to be ahead of the curve when it comes to having a school ready to serve the area.
The new school will be on the corner of Civita Boulevard and Via Alta, just west of the new Civita Park. Right now, the land is occupied by a small grassy area and a dog park.
"The idea was to locate the school in a central location for the community that was really kind of civic heart or the social hub of the community," says Sudberry VP Marco Sessa. "We tried to create an environment here where really you can live, play, and work. A school is a big component of that."
People who live in Civita say they're excited about the news, but also want to make sure it lives up to high academic standards.
"It's all about the level of education," says Russell Pontone. "It's one thing to build a beautiful building. But are you going to have the best teachers there? What kind of programs and resources are actually going to be available?"
The District has not said how much it will cost to build the new school. Money from Proposition Z and local development impact fees will pay for the construction. The District plans to begin building in the spring of 2020 and have the school ready to open in the fall of 2022.
