Laguna Beach has closed escrow for the acquisition of St. Catherine’s School in Siena of the Diocese of Orange.
City Manager Shohreh Dupuis made the announcement in a press release Wednesday. The city agreed to pay a $23 million acquisition for the 6. 5-acre assets located at 30516 Coast Highway.
“The acquisition of St. Catherine’s School is an exclusive and rare opportunity for our community, given that the city of Laguna Beach is largely urbanized,” Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Diocese of Orange for working with us over the past two years and for allowing these assets to continue to be a facility serving the community.
“These assets will be incredibly citizen-friendly, as we now have the area to accommodate more systems and services. We look to the future to hear our community’s concepts about the imaginable uses for this location. With the acquisition of these assets, the City’s time has come to expand a master plan for all City properties, and we will work to create a vision of community services that all can enjoy.
The diocese approached the city about its interest in obtaining the assets in 2021. The school includes 4 buildings that constitute over 39,000 square feet of interior space. It also has basketball courts, a sports field, playgrounds and picnic areas.
The parish school of St. Catherine of Siena opened in 1957 and the assets were rebuilt in 2008. The school closed in 2020 with a decrease in enrollment. A component of the school site, St. Catherine of Siena is not part of the sale and remains open. .
“The Diocese of Orange thanks the Laguna Beach network for its decades of St. Parish School. Catherine in Siena and expects to see a new network use of the property,” said Bradley Zint, spokesman for the diocese.
Interim uses of the assets are expected to be discussed at the Laguna Beach City Council assembly on Jan. 24. Council members also requested a control plan for long-term uses. Opportunities discussed included a networking group and a cultural and arts center.
“It provides an opportunity for other facilities in the network,” acting Mayor Sue Kempf said of the property’s acquisition. “I’m looking forward to discussing with the network what we can do. “
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Andrew Turner is a sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. Before joining the pilot in October 2016, he coached sports freelance for the Orange County Registry for 4 years. His paintings have also been used throughout The Associated Press and California Rubber Hockey magazine. While attending Long Beach State, he wrote for the college newspaper, The Daily 49er. He earned a degree in journalism and history. (714) 966-4611
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