San Rafael's, Santa Venetia Neighborhood. Proposed Community Center

San Rafael's, Santa Venetia Neighborhood, Proposed Community Center. 

The projects summary of key features; 

• Park with nature trail
• Community gardens
• Picnic and food truck area with solar shade structures
• Community Center
• Affordable housing for musicians
• Cafe

Former MacPhail School, a 9.76-acre surplus property at 1565 Vendola Dr., has been unused for many decades. On Tuesday, San Rafael City Schools unanimously accepted the $6m bid from Santa Venetia residents to purchase and revitalize this property. It was the only bid to come in by the Jan 23rd deadline. The accepted bid partners non-profit organization Pazala Inc, with Santa Venetia Community Center and the Santa Venetia Neighborhood Association. A large number of neighbors have shown up at school board meetings to support this plan.

Christina West, executive director of Pazala, said the group is “overjoyed” at the opportunity to buy the property “and transform it into an environmentally and socially responsible community hub.” “Now the real work begins in its transformation into a community center, parkland and cultural and recreational destination.” Robin-Leigh Kessler, co-founder of another group, Santa Venetia Commons, said. “This journey is a symbol of what can happen when communities have a shared vision, a passion for change and work together to get things done.” West said the residents will immediately begin the first phase of improvements. They include a “park with nature trail, community gardens and a picnic and food truck area with solar shade structures" For phase two, they will partner with the nonprofit Santa Venetia Community Center to build a community center on the property. The neighbors also plan to incorporate affordable housing for musicians and a cafe. In addition to the school campus, the property also contains a wildlife refuge containing freshwater wetland ponds and borders Las Gallinas Creek and Santa Venetia Marsh Preserve. This has been a site for neighbors to gather for walks, dog runs, softball, tai chi, kite flying, picnics and watching the sunsets. There is a strong focus on maintaining these important benefits for the community of Santa Venetia. 

“I am pleased that a thoughtful and transparent process led to an outcome where the San Rafael community benefits on multiple levels,” said Carolina Martin, president of the San Rafael Board of Education. “The sale of this long-held district asset reflects responsible stewardship and provides important resources for needed school facility improvements.”

History of MacPhail School campus - 
MacPhail School was closed in the 1970's due to declining enrollment and declared surplus in 1979. It was then leased out until the 1990's. In 1993 it was declared surplus again and sold. The buyer defaulted on loan payments in 2002. In 2004 a court ruled the purchase agreement void and ownership reverted back to the district. It was declared surplus again in 2007. In 2024 the district reaffirmed the site as surplus and began a bidding process prioritizing sale only to nonprofits or public entities. They were unable to reach a deal so they opened the sale up to the general real estate market with a minimum price of $6m.

Pazala Inc - 
Pazala Inc is a 501(c)(3) private family foundation created in 2014 by Christina Manasala West and Jack west upon selling Zep Solar, Inc. Their mission is to commit to renewable energy and environmental protection, support the arts and culture, and advance human health and welfare. Other projects have included - the Girl Project (an empowerment program providing free after-school and summer programs for at-risk youth in Oakland,CA), Indigenized Energy (a non-profit providing solar energy and education to promote tribal energy sovereignty), the Woodwork Collective (a musicians collective that also supports filmmakers, photographers, sound engineers and production personnel), university fellowships at UC Davis and Cal Poly Humboldt to usher interest in careers focusing on renewable energy and sustainable communities.

The location has always been a place of mystery to me. It was such a forlorn setting, at the very end of the neighborhood. A school; abandoned, unused and typically devoid of anyone on the property at all. I would expect the end product, as described, to be a real win for the neighborhood!