From young to old: Former Midtown school to become senior housing

A plan to convert the former Faxon elementary school to senior housing is moving forward, city officials reported Tuesday.

The city council will soon consider an ordinance to transfer $280,000 in federal grant funds toward environmental abatement work at the school at 3710 Paseo Blvd.

The money will mainly be for dealing with lead based paint.

A city official on Tuesday also told the Brownfields Commission that the developer expects to have other project funding firmly in place later this year. The Pioneer Sunflower Development Co., LLC, plans to convert the school to 46 units of affordable senior housing, according to city documents.

Developer Jason Swords said he expects construction on the $8 million project to begin in September. The apartments will be a mix of one and two bedroom units. Financing will include use of housing tax credits and historic tax credits, he said.

The $280,000 for abatement work would come from a $1.6 million grant fund to the city from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The school was named after Frank A. Faxon, a member of the Kansas City board of education and president of the Faxon & Gallagher Drug Company. It opened in 1906 and was last used as school in June 1997.