At their October 4^th meeting, the Foster City Council unanimously approved ten (10) “General Principles for Leasing the 15-Acre Property Owned by the City of Foster City for a Public or Private High School.” These principles are intended to provide guidance to any provider of secondary education who may be interested in constructing a public or private high school on the 15 acres of City-owned land between the Government Center and the North Peninsula Jewish Campus. The “Principles” document summarizes current City policies that have been applied successfully in past lease negotiations and lease agreements for use of public land.

The City Council also heard presentations from representatives of the Foster City Charter High School Foundation who are interested in the site for a charter high school that was recently approved on a conditional basis by the San Mateo Union High School District.

Mayor Marland Townsend opened the discussion of the “Principles” agenda item by stating, “The site has been set aside for the development of a public or private high school until June 2008.  That is not the issue under discussion this evening. We are here to talk about the business terms for the lease of this important public land by any party interested in using this site to develop a public or private high school.”

Staff outlined the process for negotiating a land lease agreement with the City, of which the first step was consideration of a set of general principles by the City Council. The second step is for a prospective user to submit a comprehensive proposal that can be reviewed and evaluated for completeness and consistency with these general principles.

The third step in the process is to develop a set of ‘business terms” with the prospective user for public review and consideration by the City Council. The final step in the process is the conversion of the business terms into a comprehensive lease agreement with the assistance of legal counsel. The proposed lease document is also subject to public review and consideration by the City Council.

With the adoption of the “Principles” document by the City Council (Step 1), the Foster City Charter High School Foundation was invited by the City Council to submit a comprehensive proposal for use of the 15-acres that addresses the ten (10) general principles (Step 2). Council members assured Foundation representatives that these guidelines are flexible as long as the proposal demonstrates how the community would benefit from the Foundation’s use of the public land for the charter high school. The City Council also indicated the City would consider a comprehensive proposal that met the City’s general principles through a collaboration with other non-profit or educational organizations.

A copy of the general principles and the resolution adopting them is available on the City’s website here. For more information about the general principles and the 15-acre site, contact Richard Marks, Community Development Director at (650) 286-3234 or rmarks@fostercity.org.