Lots going on with surplus schools this month

Graceland School, just outside Midtown boundaries at 2803 E. 51st, sold in December and will be repurposed as the Mary Kelly Community Center. The 30 schools the Kansas City School District declared surplus and put on the market are now in various stages of reuse or pending sales.

The Kansas City School District continues its efforts to find acceptable new uses for 30 schools, including several in Midtown. The sites in Midtown are in varying stages of redevelopment. Perhaps that calls for a big picture view of what’s going on with the repurposing project:

  • Longan: The first Kansas City Public School to be put to a new use, Longan at 3421 Cherry, is now home to the K-2 programs of the Acadèmie Lafayette, a French immersion school. It opened to students last fall.
  • Swinney: Tonight, the West Plaza Neighborhood Association will get an update from Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners on its plans for redevelopment of the Swinney Elementary School, 1106 W. 47th.  In May 2012 the group proposed reusing the former school as medical office suites.
  • Westport High and West Middle: Developers presented proposals for Westport High and Westport Middle Schools at 300 and 315 East 39th Street in August 2012.

Activity on surplus schools outside Midtown

  • Chick (4101 East 53rd Street), Ladd (3640 Benton Boulevard), Marborough (1300 East 75th Street) and Pershing (5915 Park): The district is offering tours of these properties on January 16 and 17. Offers for all four schools are due Thursday, January 31st.
  • Graceland: Graceland, 2803 E. 51st, sold in December 2012 to Swope Corridor Renaissance/The Upper Room and will be redeveloped into a community center.
  • Bingham: The school at 7618 Wyandotte was considered as a new location for a Hen House grocery store, but those plans fell through last fall. The neighbors heard a new proposal last week to redevelop the site as a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Several schools are being put to reuse as charter schools, and others are being repurposed as senior or mixed-income housing. Block Real Estate Services, which is helping the district sell the schools, has listed eight which remain on the market without solid offers.

More information

 

Previous stories

West Plaza to see new plans for Swinney School

School repurposers release draft report on Westport Middle and High Schools

Westport School redevelopment teams share their presentations

 

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