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Item Title: Land Acquisition
for a New High School (H-6) and Future Elementary School in the Northeastern
Raleigh, South Rolesville Area (Second Reading)
Specific
Action Requested:
Item Summary:
On April 7, 2008 the
Board of Commissioners received information on this site as a first reading.
Since that time additional due diligence and concept planning was completed. At
their July 15, 2008 meeting the Board of Education reaffirmed their support for
the recommended purchase of the 80.802 acre site. On July 21, 2008 the item was
presented to the Board of Commissioners as a First Reading. Since that time
staff has developed an attached matrix and maps of four sites considered that
outlines comparative elements involved in site selection including cost per
acre, access, environmental conditions and availability of water and sewer in
order to answer questions raised by the Board July 21, 2008.
On February 19, 2008
and on March 4, 2008, the Board of Education accepted the terms and conditions
of two agreements to purchase approximately 80.802 acres of property from two
property owners for a combined high school (H-6) and a landbank opportunity for
a future elementary school. High school H-6 is included in CIP 2006. The
development of H-6 is directly related to the new high school construction
plans involving the Wake Forest Rolesville High and Heritage High. Wake
Forest Rolesville students will be housed in Heritage High beginning in the
fall of 2009 in order to accommodate the Wake Forest Rolesville renovation.
Heritage will then open with its 9th and 10th graders and
the 9th and 10th graders assigned to H-6 in the fall of
2010. In the fall of 2011, H-6 is scheduled to open and will accept 9th
and 10th graders.
The 80.802-acre site is comprised of six
tracts and a portion of a seventh tract. The proposed contract purchase price
for all tracts is $63,000 per acre. The primary assemblage of 74.66 acres has
been appraised by an MAI appraiser at an appraised value of $67,706 per acre
totaling $5,055,000. The remaining 6.142 acres (80.802 -74.66) is referred to
as Canyon Drive. The tract is not a NCDOT road, but will provide an additional
entrance to the future elementary school. That 6.142 acres was not originally
identified for the appraisal. It is presumed that the 6.142 acres would be
similarly valued and could potentially increase the value of the 74.66 acres
with the additional access.
The site is off of
Forestville Road in northeastern Wake County within the City of Raleigh's
Extra-territorial Jurisdiction. WCPSS will petition for annexation. Customary
road improvements are likely to be needed along Forestville Road including
widening and construction of turn lanes. Per City of Raleigh staff, water is
available along Forestville Road and gravity sewer is to a pump station at the
southern boundary of the assemblage. All wetlands and stream buffers have been
delineated and a concept plan has been developed indicating the feasibility of
developing the site as a high school and future elementary school. Per City of
Raleigh staff, road connectivity by a residential collector street will be
required from the existing road that terminates at the northern boundary of the
assemblage to the stream at the southern boundary of the western portion of the
site. Other due diligence has been completed including boundary and
topographical surveys, Phase I Environmental Reports and confirmation of the
costs and availability of off site infrastructure.
Additional geotechnical investigation of the
site revealed the presence of rock that precipitated the WCPSS to contract for
a Value Management Estimate to determine the premium that should be expected in
the costs associated with the presence of rock. That amount is estimated to be
approximately $1,994,000. WCPSS budgets $8,500,000 for grading and site work
for a high school. The rock represents a premium of 23.5% of additional site
development costs. A copy of the Geotechnical Report has been provided and a
Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations is attached. Due to the location
and size of the assemblage and its relationship to the other high school
construction projects, the presence of water and sewer service, usual and
customary road improvements and the ability to “landbank” an additional
elementary school site, the WCPSS recommends the purchase of the site.
A Site Concept Plan is attached that depicts
the layout of the site and proposed configuration of site components, as well
as all other attachments related to due diligence, including the completed
checklist.
Attachments:
1.
Comparison Matrix of four sites
2.
Maps of the four sites
considered with Wake County Real Estate Data
4.
Preliminary Conclusions and
Recommendations of the Geotechnical Report
5.
Concept Plan, Site Access
Conditions, Environmental Conditions, Tree Conservation Areas
6.
Bond Summary
10. GIS Aerial Photo
12. Appraisal Cover