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The Former Jacobs Middle School Site

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This webpage was created by the City to inform and receive feedback from the community about the recent purchase of the former Jacobs Middle School site. Please read the background information and FAQs, and use the tools below to provide your feedback.



Background

The former Jacobs Middle School Site (Jacobs Site) is 14.1-acres in size and owned by the Eureka City Unified School District (escrow pending). George C. Jacobs Junior High School was built in 1956 and served as a junior high school up until 1982. After its closure as a junior high, the facility continued to be used for various functions such as adult education and a continuation high school until the facility was closed following the 2008-09 school year. The buildings remained largely unused and unmaintained for greater than a decade before demolition of the structures occurred in January 2021. (Information from the Eureka City School’s website: The Jacobs Junior High School Campus, Then and Now - Eureka City Schools)

The School District plans to retain the northern approximately 5.8 acres of the site as ball fields in perpetuity, leaving the southern 8.3 acres open for redevelopment. The future of these 8.3 acres is of great interest because the City of Eureka is largely built out, with relatively few sites that provide realistic opportunities for new development. Unlike other remaining vacant land in the City, the site is relatively unconstrained – it is outside of the Coastal Zone, relatively flat, and not located in an ecologically sensitive or hazardous area.

What Does this Mean for the Community?

Currently, the Jacobs Site is owned by the Eureka City Unified School District, not the City of Eureka. The City and School District are two separate entities. The City does however control the zoning of the site which dictates what uses are allowed and at what densities, height, etc. Currently the site is zoned for Public Facilities, but the City Council could choose to rezone the site for other uses in the future. There is also an initiative ballot measure that qualified for the City’s next general election that, if passed by the voters, would change the zoning for the Jacobs Site.


Please be respectful. All derogatory and off-topic items or comments will be removed by the auto-moderator. Review the Talk Eureka website Terms and Conditions and Etiquette and Moderation Policy. These policies are always linked at the bottom of each Talk Eureka webpage.

This webpage was created by the City to inform and receive feedback from the community about the recent purchase of the former Jacobs Middle School site. Please read the background information and FAQs, and use the tools below to provide your feedback.



Background

The former Jacobs Middle School Site (Jacobs Site) is 14.1-acres in size and owned by the Eureka City Unified School District (escrow pending). George C. Jacobs Junior High School was built in 1956 and served as a junior high school up until 1982. After its closure as a junior high, the facility continued to be used for various functions such as adult education and a continuation high school until the facility was closed following the 2008-09 school year. The buildings remained largely unused and unmaintained for greater than a decade before demolition of the structures occurred in January 2021. (Information from the Eureka City School’s website: The Jacobs Junior High School Campus, Then and Now - Eureka City Schools)

The School District plans to retain the northern approximately 5.8 acres of the site as ball fields in perpetuity, leaving the southern 8.3 acres open for redevelopment. The future of these 8.3 acres is of great interest because the City of Eureka is largely built out, with relatively few sites that provide realistic opportunities for new development. Unlike other remaining vacant land in the City, the site is relatively unconstrained – it is outside of the Coastal Zone, relatively flat, and not located in an ecologically sensitive or hazardous area.

What Does this Mean for the Community?

Currently, the Jacobs Site is owned by the Eureka City Unified School District, not the City of Eureka. The City and School District are two separate entities. The City does however control the zoning of the site which dictates what uses are allowed and at what densities, height, etc. Currently the site is zoned for Public Facilities, but the City Council could choose to rezone the site for other uses in the future. There is also an initiative ballot measure that qualified for the City’s next general election that, if passed by the voters, would change the zoning for the Jacobs Site.


Please be respectful. All derogatory and off-topic items or comments will be removed by the auto-moderator. Review the Talk Eureka website Terms and Conditions and Etiquette and Moderation Policy. These policies are always linked at the bottom of each Talk Eureka webpage.

Page last updated: 04 Apr 2024, 02:56 PM