Baltimore City has created a website showcasing surplus schools with the hopes that a buyer will be able to reuse the facility.
It's all part of the Baltimore City Public Schools' annual portfolio review.
The school board is proposing to surplus 3 school buildings in 2018: Rognel Heights Elementary, Westside Elementary, and Patapsco Elementary.
This means the buildings would return to their owner of the site, the City of Baltimore, for a new use.
Through this website the city hopes to generate interest in these sitesand others that are available.
The goal is to transform these buildings into something with activity, which in turn would revitalize the community.
The closure of so many schools in Baltimore is a product of population decline.
According to a news release total school enrollment in Baltimore peaked in the 1960’s at 200,000 and today is around 81,000. While school closures can pose daunting challenges to find productive reuses for closed facilities, they can also provide exciting redevelopment opportunities for the property and surrounding area.
“These sites provide large-scale opportunities for new land uses that can help transform neighborhoods, particularly if the new uses can catalyze additional investment in the nearby area. We are looking forward to partnering with the community stakeholders to identify desirable reuses for these spaces and with the private sector to bring exciting new opportunities to these buildings and these communities,” said Mayor Pugh.
