The Laguna Beach school district expects a 27 percent increase in its student population over two decades and forecasts needing $24 million in improvements to accommodate such growth.
To start recouping the expected costs of an enrollment jump, the school board will tonight consider imposing a 40 percent hike in developer fees on new homes built in the district.
Fees would rise to $2.86 per square foot on new homes from an existing fee rate of $2.05 per square foot. That would add $8,500 to the cost of a new home in Laguna Beach, where the median home price last year dropped back to $1.7 million.
A planning firm forecasts an 800-student jump in the district’s enrollment by 2035. This year, 2,990 students currently attend the district’s four schools.
About 3,530 new homes could be built by 2035 within the district’s boundaries, which include the city of Laguna Beach and portions of Aliso Viejo, Laguna Woods and Newport Beach, according to the study based on Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) data.
To adequately house the rising student population, the district will need to expand every campus, says the study says.
District spokeswoman Leisa Winston said the higher developer fees will not affect Newport Coast, where about 105 students who attend Laguna schools now live. The fees will become effective within 60 days of approval.
The board meets at 6 p.m. at 550 Blumont St.
