The T.T. Minor and Mann school buildings have been vacant and boarded up since the last school year ended, part of a Seattle school district effort to consolidate facilities and save money. Although no decisions have been made yet on the future of those two buildings, the district recently got approval from the city to make any such decisions independently and without the process of community involvement that has previously been used when a school facility is transitioned to a new purpose.
The MLK school in Madison Valley is a good example of what people thought was the default path. In that case the school was declared surplus by the district and a School Use Advisory Committee (SUAC) was formed to help determine the range of future uses that are available for the property. It’s a lengthy but inclusive process that has given a community group the time and information necessary to submit a competitive bid to turn the old elementary campus into a community center.
That open and detailed process is now off the table for TT Minor, the Mann building, and six other closed school properties across the city. The school district requested and won an interpretation from the city that exempts them from the SUAC process as long as the new uses are compatible with the existing zoning assigned to them. Both of the vacant school properties in the Central District sit in multifamily zones, which would allow townhomes, apartment buildings, nursing homes, child care centers, or private schools.
According to Seattle Schools spokesperson David Tucker, there’s no imminent effort to sell or lease the vacant buildings. The next step is for the school board to discuss the issue and decide whether each school will be kept in inventory for possible re-activation, or declared surplus and offered for sale or long-term lease to any interested parties. It is scheduled to be a topic of discussion at the board meeting on November 18th, with a vote and final decision to be made sometime thereafter.
Any properties declared surplus by the district will then be offered at a market rate for any uses allowed by their zoning. Tucker says that while multiple bids are not required by law, the district’s standard practice is to use an open request-for-proposals process. There would also still be public notice and a process of community engagement, but one that would likely be significantly shorter than the SUAC process, which has taken fourteen months for the MLK elementary property.
Want to learn more? This issue will be a big topic of discussion at the quarterly Squire Park Community Meeting this Saturday.
11:44PM – 1700 E. Union – T.T. Minor – Zoned multifamily (L3)
11:45PM – 3528 S. Ferdinand – The Columbia School
11:45PM – 2410 E. Cherry St. – The Mann School Building – Zoned multi-family (L1)
11:50PM – 520 NE Ravenna Blvd – John Marshall School – Multifamily zoning (L3)
11:51PM – 3800 SW Findlay St. – Fairmount Park School
11:52PM – 10525 3rd Ave NW – Viewlands School
11:54PM – 3300 SW Holden St – Hughes School
11:55PM – 5000 SW Genesee St. – Genesee Hill School
