Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.The open country on the far edge of Omaha has been a haven for people seeking a rural lifestyle near the city.
But with the city's growth continuing west, the Elkhorn school district wants six homeowners to sell part of their land for a new school near 192nd and Spring Streets.
The school board voted 5-0 Monday to use eminent domain authority to acquire 12.4 acres from the six homeowners. The board also gave the district's superintendent and attorney the go-ahead to negotiate a price.
The district also plans to purchase about 1.7 acres from a developer who has expressed a willingness to sell.
Landowner Darrell Kovar said he doesn't want to lose the property that his family has lived on for 38 years, and he suggested another site. "I certainly feel there hasn't been enough consideration put into your choice."
Five of the six landowners attended Monday's special meeting on the land acquisition. Their lots measure about five acres apiece. The district proposes purchasing a portion of each lot, ranging from 2.6 acres to 1.5 acres. In most cases, it is the back portions of the lots that would be acquired.
Four of the landowners, who have hired a real estate attorney, said the loss of part of their property would change it so that the land would no longer serve the purposes for which they bought it, including keeping horses. They urged the Elkhorn Public Schools to consider that loss of value in negotiations.
Superintendent Steve Baker said the growing district, which has built seven schools since 2000, needs more elementary school space.
The district, he said, considered seven sites. But it concluded that the 192nd and Spring Streets location would best meet the area's needs. Omaha city planners also concluded that it would be the best for an elementary school.
The $49.1 million bond issue approved by voters in November will cover the costs of building one middle school and two elementary schools.
The board two weeks ago signed off on agreements to buy 47 acres of farmland and 18 lots from a nearby housing development for the middle school and an elementary school on the district's north side, near 180th and Fort Streets.
The district already has three elementary schools south of West Dodge Road, Baker said, but it needs another to meet needs in that area. The Pacific Street corridor running through the district is currently the most active development zone in the metropolitan area.
Fire Ridge Elementary near 196th and Farnam Streets, designed for 450 students, two years ago enrolled about 575 children. The construction of West Dodge Station Elementary near 184th and California Streets drew some students away from Fire Ridge, but enrollment there decreased by only about 50.
The district wants the new school to serve Elkhorn Ridge Middle School near 178th and Marcy Streets.
Duncan Young, the school district's attorney, said the district intends to pay fair market value to landowners. State statute also allows the payment of damages if the purchase affects the value of the remaining property.
Landowner Al Pribamsky noted that the area already has traffic problems because that stretch of 192nd Street is only two lanes. Even without a school, traffic backs up, blocking driveways.
"That's something that needs to be considered before this project goes through," Pribamsky said.
Jeff Lake, a civil engineer at Olsson Associates, said traffic problems near the proposed site are not insurmountable. The school district is conducting a traffic study. Once it has been completed, the district will work with the city to determine how to address traffic concerns.
Steve Allen, another landowner, said losing 2.6 acres would take away his family's reason for living there. "If we want to keep the lifestyle we have, we need to move," said Allen, who has helped for years with the Elkhorn High School marching band.
Knowing that growth was headed their way, the Allens actually looked into moving. But they've ruled it out, given the current real estate market. He said he is concerned that the value of his remaining property would decline if he lost part of it.
Paul Krupa, another landowner, expressed similar concerns. He said he would lose pastureland and would have to buy hay year-round for his wife's horses.
Kovar urged the district to look at other sites, including 20 acres for sale roughly a mile away, rather than disrupt people's lives.
But Baker said the property that Kovar mentioned is zoned for commercial use and is unsuitable for a school.
"When the dust settles," Baker said, "I hope we will have reached a settlement with every party."
Contact the writer: 402-444-1223, julie.anderson@owh.com
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