The proposed lease of an 11.36-acre site in Newport Beach is gaining the attention of local environmental groups, who are claiming an Orange County school district violated state law during the search for developers.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District put out a call for bidders in January, looking for a group to enter a long-term ground lease to develop the site — a move district officials say is allowed under state law.
The property is surrounded on three sides by the nearly 400-acre Randall Preserve, formerly known as Banning Ranch, which was acquired by a set of environmental groups in 2022 to preserve the open space…