Sandy Voters to Decide $30M Purchase of Crescent View School Site

A Split Council Sends the Big-Ticket Option to Voters

Sandy City Council members voted Tuesday to put a $30 million general obligation bond before voters this November, asking whether the city should buy the 17-acre former Crescent View Middle School site at 11150 Vista Way from Canyons School District, as first reported by Building Salt Lake. The council had three price tiers on the table — $17 million, $21 million, and $30 million — and after two failed 3-4 votes on the top and middle options, a motion to reconsider brought the $30 million version back for a 6-1 approval.

That kind of whiplash inside one meeting tells you the council wasn't unified going in. Council Member Aaron Dekeyzer and Council Member Brooke Christensen both preferred the $21 million route as more fiscally responsible, and Council Member Alison Stroud said she was wary of the larger number for residents. Council Member Brooke D'Sousa said she felt the purchase was the wrong call altogether but acknowledged the process had moved past the point of turning back. Council Member Marci Houseman pushed hardest for the full amount, saying her district's constituents wanted the complete vision on the ballot.

Why the Council Chose the Most Expensive Version

The $30 million option isn't just a bigger number attached to the same plan. It funds a full community-focused build-out: a community center anchored in the old middle school building, new arts space, a stage, a food truck plaza, expanded park space, trail connections, and facilities to support city services. The $21 million option would have carved off part of the site for single-family homes while still converting the school into a community center. The $17 million floor option would have largely left the land as-is.

Nearly 1,000 residents responded to the city's outreach survey, and 60 percent strongly supported buying the site. Public sentiment clearly leaned toward acquisition — the fight on the council wasn't over whether to buy, it was over how much to build once they owned it. That distinction matters for anyone tracking how Sandy allocates public land going forward: a school district disposal that could have gone to a private developer for housing or retail instead becomes municipal green space and civic infrastructure, taking 17 acres permanently off any future commercial or residential tax roll.

What the Bond Costs Residents, and Why the Spread Matters

The city put real numbers behind each option. The $30 million bond would run the average Sandy home about $58 a year, or $1,152 over the bond's 20-year term. The $17 million floor option comes in at roughly $34 annually, or about $681 over the same period. That's a meaningful gap for a homeowner budgeting for a fixed-term property tax increase, and it's the number that will decide this election more than the design renderings.

Some council members flagged a real risk during discussion: buying the property is one line item, but building out a $30 million concept plan over years of construction and renovation could push total city spending well past the bond figure itself. That's a familiar pattern in municipal redevelopment — land acquisition bonds rarely capture the full lifecycle cost of the buildings that go up afterward.

A City Building Its Own Real Estate Portfolio

This isn't Sandy's first big real estate move this year. Earlier in 2026, the city purchased the Arbor Plaza building next to city hall for $12 million. Between that acquisition and the Crescent View proposal, Sandy is actively expanding its municipal footprint rather than leaving redevelopment decisions to private buyers. For owners and investors watching land near city-adjacent parcels in Sandy, that's worth tracking — a city willing to bond for civic space is also a city more likely to shape what gets built around it. Our team at Team Utah Commercial (801-898-8810) fields questions from clients on exactly this kind of municipal land movement, since it often signals where infrastructure and foot traffic investment will follow next.

The bond question goes to Sandy voters on the November 3 ballot. If it fails, the city presumably returns to the drawing board on financing tier or walks away from the purchase altogether — the district still owns the land either way until a deal closes. Watch turnout and campaign messaging between now and then; a $58-a-year tax increase is a modest ask on paper, but bond elections built on the priciest of three options tend to draw more organized opposition than the survey numbers suggest.

Source: this analysis discusses reporting by buildingsaltlake.