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Scarcity of Property Is Growing Obstacle to Building Schools

It was described as an insurmountable task: finding 440 acres of land in the most densely populated areas of Los Angeles on which 80 much-needed schools could be built.

Knowing there likely would not be any large, vacant lots with "For Sale" signs, the chief facilities executive for the Los Angeles Unified School District, James A. McConnell Jr., dispatched a team of about 100 employees and consultants to look for any possible lot, vacant building, or structure that could be torn down.

"The first thing they did was go out and canvas every square inch of the city, and catalogued every conceivable site for a school," he said. "Then, we just very...