Newport Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) owns 11.36 acres, it calls Banning Ranch. The property is surrounded on three sides by the Randall Preserve/Genga. The NMUSD is determining if it should deem this land “surplus” and if so, what to do with it. A seven member committee was created in late 2023 to make recommendations to the School Board. California passed a law called the Surplus Land Act that requires governmental bodies to deem land surplus before determining next steps. Priorities for the surplus lands are: affordable housing, open space, and school facilities. CCA supports preserving this land as open space due to its habitat values and contiguity with the Randall Preserve/Genga. Because it is within the Coastal Zone, has Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas, and the documented presence of Burrowing Owls, it would be extremely difficult to develop.
There are numerous organizations supporting work on the Newport Mesa Unified School District Land, including, but not limited to:
