DALY CITY (KPIX 5) — Daly Metropolis’s Serramonte Del Rey neighborhood is about to bear a serious change.
The Jefferson Union Excessive College District is updating outdated services and shall be changing them with college and workers house housing, and also will finally develop the positioning right into a neighborhood with 6 buildings, together with a 14-story constructing.
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“The group conferences that we now have had, the individuals who stay proper right here, are I feel, largely in favor of this,” mentioned JUHSD Superintendent Toni Presta.
The positioning is situated at 699 Serramonte Boulevard in Daly Metropolis.
However there’s a bunch of people who find themselves not happy with the transfer, because it means a backyard that’s been in Daly Metropolis for round 20 years must go.
“We’ve been calling it Mystic Backyard. That is Daly Metropolis’s solely group backyard. It’s been right here for greater than 20 years,” mentioned Hibba, an advocate for protecting the backyard. “It’s a group web site, a group house. A inexperienced house.”
The backyard was initially constructed for use as an educational backyard for the college district. Nevertheless, it has since grow to be extra of a group backyard.
Erick Campbell volunteers to be a caretaker of the backyard.
He’s holding onto the thought of preserving the inexperienced house, and desires to guard the little quantity of it that Daly Metropolis has.
“They might have simply labored round this and realized this isn’t only a backyard – that is a part of nature that’s nonetheless right here,” Campbell mentioned.
The varsity district tried to work across the backyard however it wasn’t potential, in response to Presta.
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“We even have regarded with our architects – we requested, ‘how can we construct round it, can we preserve it a sure approach?’ We’re not in a position to construct the constructing varieties and quantity of housing that’s wanted if we do this,” Presta mentioned.
The re-developed neighborhood undertaking does embrace a brand new group backyard, says Presta, with extra inexperienced house.
“There shall be a group backyard, in all probability double the inexperienced house that we now have now. No less than double,” she mentioned. “It will not be precisely the identical. It’s going to be a backyard. A group backyard. Actually what we’re saying is we need to work with the group to place in what they want.”
However the backyard advocates don’t purchase it.
“It’s not a lot a couple of new backyard, it’s environmental,” Campbell mentioned.
“They are saying they’re going to double the inexperienced house, however why would they even demolish this house if that was true? Look how huge this house is. It goes to date. It’s large,” Hibba mentioned.
Hibba is worried taking the backyard away can have a unfavourable impression on native youth.
“I’d describe the backyard, initially as a group house, a inexperienced house, only a house that’s needed for psychological well being – particularly for adolescents rising up right here,” she mentioned. “In case you proceed to maintain taking away the protected areas for our youth, you’re pushing them to the streets.”
The superintendent says the redevelopment undertaking can have a constructive impression. It would carry a much-needed income supply for the college district, which can profit its college students and the better group.
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“It’s a fantastic undertaking for a lot of causes. It would assist fund our underfunded faculty district – and – it is going to create a gorgeous neighborhood in Daly Metropolis and enhance housing for the group,” she mentioned.