Palo Alto City Council tonight voted unanimously to release the two appraisals the city obtained while it was negotiating to buy seven acres of the Cubberley Community Center for $65.5 million.
For several months, the city had refused to release the appraisals even though the city is seeking approval of a half-cent sales tax increase on the Nov. 3 ballot to pay for the purchase.
If the tax, Measure J, passes, the city said it would use the proceeds to pay the Palo Alto School District $65.5 million for the property.
Council did not say when the documents will be released.
The Post has been seeking the appraisal since July. A California Public Record Act request was denied by City Manager Ed Shikada, saying the council and school board needed to approve its release.
The Post argued that state law says that once a government agency had reached an agreement to purchase property, the appraisal must be released. However, the city ignored that argument.
On Oct. 5, the city once again refused to release the appraisal and instead issued a press release saying the appraiser, who wasn’t identified, said the property was worth between $43.6 to $60.2 million. The city emphasized that the appraisal was done in 2024, and with inflation the top price would will increase to $65.5 million when the deal would close.
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