BY CHLOE YOUNG
Going forward
The approach
“While no one wants to be in the position that we’re in as a district, I think it opens the door for us to think creatively about what we want our communities to look like and how they can best serve the residents within them.” JAMES VALADEZ, AISD DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE generate revenue for the district, Valadez said. The district has aimed to improve trust with community members by showing sta members’ repurposing work and providing more accessible opportunities for input, including virtual and in-person meetings in English and Spanish along- side an online survey, Miller said. “We’re trying to… incorporate more feedback from the community as well as just thinking about all the options instead of going straight to selling,” Miller said.
AISD created a new repurposing process that may be used to assess any district facility going forward, following the hiring of new Director of Real Estate James Valadez in January, Miller said. If AISD expects to need the property for educa- tional or district use in the next 20 years, the district will retain the property. If not, AISD may consider extending a short-term lease with or without improvements made by the tenant, a long-term ground lease or a one-time property sale. For the surplus properties, community members have requested repurposing the schools for medical uses, early childhood centers and other uses that address “the pain points that come along with daily life in Austin,” Valadez said. In recent months, district sta have been collect- ing reports and wrapping up scoring the six surplus properties to rank potential reuse options, Miller said. AISD is considering the facilities’ condition and maintenance needs, as well as the repurposing option’s impact on the community and its ability to
The district is expected to complete a second round of community feedback meetings in May and June before presenting repurposing recommendations to the board of trustees this summer or fall, Miller said. The board must vote to declare a campus as surplus and lease or sell it to another organization. Allen said he and other Rosedale residents have begun working with residents a ected by the upcoming school closures who fear their communities could be impacted by similar multifamily housing developments. “What’s happening [at Rosedale] is only probably months away for some of those other neighborhoods,” Allen said.
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