To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Steve Potter, City Manager
Prepared By: Liz Habkirk, Assistant City Manager
TITLE:
Title
Discuss Harvest Middle School Site Acquisition Process
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Direct the City Manager to enter negotiations with the Napa Valley Unified School District to acquire the Harvest Middle School site for future uses consistent with Council Focus Areas.
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DISCUSSION:
The former Harvest Middle School property is a 26.62-acre developed property located at 2449 Old Sonoma Road and within City limits that is owned by the Napa Unified School District (NVUSD). The Harvest Middle School site is also adjacent to the City’s Playground Fantastico park.
In April of 2021, the NVUSD Board approved closing Harvest Middle School after the 2021-22 school year due to falling enrollment and budget constraints. Following the closure, NVUSD held a series of community forums for residents to discuss future redevelopment of the site with a focus on preserving a portion of the existing recreational facilities for community use and looking for housing opportunities.
The property’s school facilities remain in place and the recreational areas, including a swimming pool, gymnasium, turf and grass fields, and hard courts, are currently still utilized for recreational purposes by the City of Napa and other user groups, as well as informally by the public.
In January of this year, the City Council held their annual workshop and named both Parks/Community Spaces and Housing as focus areas for the upcoming budget cycle. The Harvest Middle School property represents a unique opportunity to engage in addressing both of those focus areas, as well as meeting identified needs in the City’s Parks Master Plan and 2040 General Plan.
The Parks Master Plan prioritizes meeting the community needs for a full-size gymnasium, synthetic turf multi-use sports fields, and a community pool - amenities the City is currently lacking in the existing park network. Additionally, the General Plan and Housing Element offer guidance supporting safe, high quality and affordable housing for all segments of the community in locations near amenities, including parks and recreation opportunities.
Additionally, the annual Community Climate Survey conducted in December 2024 indicated that members of the community felt housing affordability and maintaining parks and recreation program should be among the top five priorities of the City Council.
Today’s recommended action would provide the City Manager with direction to enter preliminary negotiations with NVUSD to explore the potential for acquiring Harvest Middle School site for future uses consistent with current Council Focus Areas. Staff would return to Council with updates and to receive further direction as discussions with NVUSD progress.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
Today’s action to enter preliminary discussions with NVUSD regarding the Harvest Middle School property has no direct financial impact. Any future actions related to the purchase of the Harvest Middle School property would be brought to Council with identified financial impacts.
CEQA:
The City Manager has determined that the recommended action described in this agenda report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c). Any proposed future project at the Harvest Middle School site would be evaluated under CEQA guidelines.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None.
NOTIFICATION:
None.