Elk Grove Unified approves use of eminent domain for Rancho Cordova schools

The Elk Grove Unified School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday took the first formal step toward using eminent domain to acquire land for the planned Suncreek Middle and High School campus in Rancho Cordova, which is expected to open in 2029.

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The district spent months trying to purchase the property through negotiations, according to a staff report, before considering eminent domain — a legal process that allows public agencies to acquire private property for public use while providing just compensation to the owner.

The schools are planned for an 85-acre site east of Rancho Cordova Parkway and south of North Campus Road, near the Kavala Ranch development and other new housing areas. The campus is expected to serve approximately 1,200 middle school students and 2,200 high school students, according to the report.

However, negotiations failed to keep pace with the area’s growing housing development and rising student enrollment at nearby schools.

The board unanimously approved a resolution of necessity, finding the district had met the legal requirements to move forward with acquiring the property.

To proceed with eminent domain, the district was required to determine that the project serves the public interest, the site provides the greatest public benefit with the least private injury, the property is necessary for the project, a purchase offer has been made and all legal requirements have been met.

The area is part of Rancho Cordova’s rapidly expanding SunCreek planning area, which identified the parcel as a future school site when it was approved in 2013. Conversations about developing the site began in 2019, according to the staff report.

While the district considered other sites for the campuses, none matched the selected property’s size, layout, location, infrastructure or traffic efficiency, according to the staff report.

“Continued delays would affect the district’s ability to provide adequate educational facilities for students,” the staff report read. “Advancing this project is necessary to meet the educational needs of current and future students.”

Sunrise Elementary, Cypress Grove Elementary and McGarvey Elementary are expected to feed into the middle and high school, according to on the district’s website.

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Without the new campuses, Katherine L. Albiani Middle School and Pleasant Grove High School have exceeded capacity, putting pressure on other district schools, according to the report.

extend into the southeastern tier of Rancho Cordova, as well as Wilton and other parts of unincorporated Sacramento County beyond Elk Grove and south Sacramento. The rest of Rancho Cordova’s schools are operated by the Folsom Cordova Unified School District.

District officials said they must acquire the property soon to keep the project on schedule for a 2029 opening. State law prevents the district from awarding construction contracts or conducting certain pre-construction studies until it controls the site. The property also must undergo additional review, including environmental analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The property was appraised at more than $14.7 million. Final costs will be determined through court proceedings if eminent domain moves forward or through a negotiated settlement. The district said negotiations will continue.

“The action is not being taken lightly. It reflects the district’s responsibility to plan ahead and ensure that students have access to adequate middle and high school capacity as this area continues to grow,” Kristen Coates, the district’s deputy superintendent for business services and facilities, said.

A representative for Foothill Holdings LLC, one of the property’s owners, objected to the resolution during the meeting, calling the school project too “vaguely stated.”

Foothill representative Robbe Lehmann said the district had not complied with the requirements for eminent domain, including making an offer of just compensation, and argued the district “has not engaged in good faith negotiations as it has represented to the public.”

Parents spoke in support of the school site, saying their children would benefit from having a neighborhood campus. Trustee Heidi Moore, who represents Area 7, which includes the future school site, said she believed there was a clear need for additional schools in the area.

The district plans to hold a community meeting about the site Sept. 30, according to a July news release.

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