The Pittsburgh School district is trying to sell four vacant elementary buildings and a sizable parcel of land to developers.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the properties available are the former Arlington, Bon Air, Horace Mann, and Belmar elementary schools, and 23 undeveloped acres in the New Homestead neighborhood.
The district is seeking proposals that will achieve “high-quality development” that helps nearby properties and the community, provides financial benefits and tax revenue to the district and supports community revitalization efforts, among other requirements, according to the request for proposals.
All four elementary schools have sat vacant for years. Arlington closed in 2016, replaced by the newly renovated Arlington K-8 in the same neighborhood. Bon Air closed in 2008, Horace Mann in 2006 and Belmar in 2005.
The district acquired the New Homestead land decades ago with the intention of building a school to accommodate growth, but it was never built.
The minimum prices set for selling the school facilities:
• Arlington Elementary, $155,000
• Bon Air, $55,000
• Mann, $190,000
• Belmar, $300,000
