SANTA ANA : Alternate Plan for School to Be Aired

Officials of Santa Ana Unified School District tonight are expected to hear a potentially less expensive alternative to building its controversial “space-saver school” at the rear of the Bristol Market Place.

Commercial developer Jim Righeimer said he will propose to the Board of Education during a special meeting that the school be built at a different site, possibly saving the district as much as $15 million.

In February, the district approved a plan to build an 11-acre space-saver school at the rear of Bristol Market Place, at Bristol and 17th streets. The district is prepared to spend as much as $22 million to purchase that property.

Space-saver schools are built vertically, with several stories, instead of taking up large areas with single-story buildings. The idea, officials said, is to add schools without condemning private property in dense cities with little room for development.

Under Righeimer’s proposal, the district could purchase a site at 2828 N. Bristol St. for $6.9 million and build the school there.

The property, which contains a defunct 180-unit apartment complex, is not located within the school district’s boundaries. It is a few hundred feet within the Orange Unified School District’s area, Righeimer said.

Righeimer, who stands to earn a commission from the owner of the property if the proposal is approved, downplayed potential problems with the site as “non-issues,” and emphasized the proposal’s potential savings to taxpayers.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the Administration Building, 1405 N. French St.