Water district to sell house as surplus property

Ramona Municipal Water District directors passed a resolution at their Dec. 8 meeting declaring a portion of property the district owns at 15562 Vicente Meadow Drive as surplus and to offer that property for sale.

Located near the San Vicente Waste Water Treatment Plant, the 8.55-acre property was purchased early this year with the intent of constructing brine ponds for the storage and disposal of treated effluent from the plant on a portion of the property. Because the water district does not need the house on the property, it wants to sell the portion of property on which the house is located. The house is a four-bedroom, four-bath, 3,400-square-foot ranch.

To dispose of that portion of property, the RMWD must follow specific procedures under sections of the Water Code and Government Code. As stated in the board’s agenda memo, Government Code section 54222 requires RMWD to send written offers, which must remain open for 60 days, to sell surplus real property as follows:

• Offer to sell or lease the property for low- and moderate-income house development: to any local public entity within whose jurisdiction the land is in, and to any housing sponsor that has submitted a written request for offers.

• Offer to sell or lease the property for park and recreational purposes: to the parks and recreation departments of the city and county and to any regional park authority in whose jurisdiction the land is located, and the state Resources Agency.

• Offer to sell or lease the property for school facilities or open space: to any school district in whose jurisdiction the land is located.

• Offer to sell or lease the property for the purpose of developing property in an “infill opportunity zone” or a “transit village plan” to a county, city, public transportation authority, housing authority or redevelopment agency in whose jurisdiction the land is located.

• Priority goes to offers to purchase the land for low- and moderate-income housing development or for park purposes if the land is already a park. If the local agency receives multiple offers for low and moderate housing development, section 54222(a) provides “priority shall be given to development of the land to provide affordable housing for lower income elderly or disabled persons or households, and other lower income households.”

Akins said that, to expedite the process of the sale of the property, the district could also offer the sale of the property to private persons, as well, by putting it up for auction. Then if the district does not sell the property to one of the entities listed in the memo, it would sell to either the highest bidder or “if you do not get any bids from either a public agency or a private party, then you could go into private negotiations,” she said.

“This board item is really just to get the process started,” Akins said. “Offering the property up for sale, there’s a 60-day period during which the property has to remain open for sale to various public agencies, the intent of which is to provide low- to moderate-income housing as well as to provide park space and other public purposes.”

“I’m in favor of getting started with this as soon as we can,” said Director George Boggs.

The water district is planning to use the proceeds from the sale of this surplus property to help fund the construction of the brine ponds.