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Ventura Unified hires DCG Strategies to study highest-and-best use of five surplus properties
Summary
The board unanimously approved a DCG Strategies contract to analyze five surplus district properties, aiming to quantify development options and community impacts; staff said the study (about $25,000 per site) will inform RFPs and negotiating strategy and will be funded from developer fees.
The Ventura Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously April 8 to hire DCG Strategies to perform highest-and-best-use and land-use analyses for five surplus district properties, a move staff said will help the district set realistic expectations and strengthen negotiations with prospective developers.
Megan MacIvor, vice president at DCG Strategies, told the board the firm will combine market analysis, site visits, regulatory review and community engagement to recommend feasible development scenarios — including selling, leasing, holding or repurposing each site. MacIvor said a land-use analysis can reveal value beyond a basic appraisal: “We think like developers think,” she said, describing a recent engagement where a deeper analysis raised an assumed value by roughly $10 million.
Jeff Lambert, CEO of the Housing Authority, urged the board to proceed, saying DCG’s independent assessment will improve public decision-making and complement housing authority planning: “To have you be separately informed will make our process richer,” he said.
Staff said the proposal is scoped on a portfolio basis, with an approximate cost of $25,000 per site; the overall timeline is three to four months for the full study, though staff said DCG can accelerate work on properties that already have requests for proposals. The board was told the engagement will be funded from developer fees rather than the general fund.
Trustees asked about timing and the interaction with RFPs already in circulation; staff said the study will inform negotiations and can be phased to prioritize properties tied to pending RFPs. Several public commenters urged the board to consider community benefits and open-space preferences, especially for the Washington School property, which some speakers prefer remain undeveloped.
The board approved the DCG contract 5-0. The district will return to the board with DCG’s scope, final timeline and community engagement plan as work begins.
