Ventura Unified and DCG outline RFP timeline and analyses for three surplus properties

Superintendent Antonio Castro opened a Ventura Unified town hall to review consultant findings and the public solicitation process for three district surplus properties, emphasizing that no decisions would be made at the meeting and that the district is now collecting proposals via a request-for-proposals process.

"The primary purpose of tonight's town hall is for the board and community to receive a presentation about several district surplus properties," Castro said, noting the district will accept RFP submissions with a December 4 deadline and that staff expects respondent review and interviews in January–February 2026 and possible purchase-and-sale work in March–April 2026.

Megan Macyver, vice president of DCG Strategies, whose firm has worked with the district since April 2025, described the consultant scope as three technical steps: (1) assess physical capacity (size, slope, easements), (2) review land-use regulations and zoning, and (3) summarize market and contextual constraints. Macyver said DCG did not perform environmental due diligence. "We did not complete any formal environmental analysis as we are not environmental experts," she said, adding that environmental review typically follows when a specific use is proposed.

DCG reported the three properties together total about 22.8 acres. Site summaries included:

- Juwet (Jouet) Estate: roughly 10 acres currently farmed (strawberries/seasonal vegetables), zoned for agriculture in unincorporated Ventura County (AE), and subject to the county's Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources voter initiative; DCG said annexation into the city could increase development value but would require Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approval.

- Avenue Elementary (2647 N. Ventura Ave., ~7.44 acres): an older campus with significant deferred maintenance and reported lead and asbestos. DCG said the site is currently zoned single-family (R-1-1AC) but is included in the city’s draft General Plan 2050 as a proposed Mixed Use 3 site (up to 30 units per acre and three stories). DCG noted the former school building is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

- Washington Elementary (96 McMillan Ave., ~5.35 acres): about 38,000 square feet of building improvements, located in Midtown and zoned R-3-5 for multifamily residential; the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the current general-plan land-use designation is parks/open space, with a proposed 2050 draft designation of school.

Macyver said DCG identified residential development as the technical "highest and best use" in revenue terms for each site based on size, zoning and projected demand, but she emphasized that highest-and-best-use is an appraisal concept that does not account for board policy preferences and community goals. "Our role is to provide you with reliable data so that you in turn can make fully informed decisions," she said.

Trustee questions focused on timing and responsibility for environmental review; both DCG and staff said environmental studies are typically commissioned when a developer proposes a specific use and that reviews must be recent to support transaction due diligence.

Next steps: the district will accept RFP responses through the public solicitation process; staff and DCG will review proposals and return to the board if and when staff recommends accepting a proposal. The board confirmed no vote or final action was planned for this meeting.