As you are probably well aware, our school district has been dealing with severe financial issues for the past few years. One way that they are attempting to make up for budget shortfalls is by (slowly) selling off vacated school buildings. We’ve been covering this intermittently over the last year, and today we have an update. An eagle-eyed reader was kind enough to share the news that the sale of three buildings was approved at last night’s SRC meeting, after a few hours of testimony from people upset about more school closings.

West Philly High

Last month, we told you about the likelihood that the old West Philly High School building would be converted into market-rate apartments by Strong Place Partners, a New York developer. At the time, we were unable to confirm the plan for 300 units and retail, as the sale of the building had not yet been finalized. At last night’s meeting, the $6M sale was approved, setting the stage for this plan to become a reality.

Educational Services Building

Additionally, the Educational Services Building, located at 427 Monroe St., was approved for sale at a price of $1.2M. This building, located around the corner from the Meredith School and close to all kinds of good stuff in Queen Village, will likewise be converted into residential units. The developer is Queen Village Lofts LP, which is using an address of 2424 E. York St., making it difficult to discern exactly who it is that’s behind the development. But whoever it is, they just got a building that will contain units that are sure to be in demand.

In addition to the previous buildings, the SRC agreed to sell the old Roberto Clemente Middle School at 3961 North 5th St. to Nueva Esperanza LLC, a nonprofit. The sale price is $1, which is a great deal for the school district, due to the environmental hazards and the expensive cleanup needed to make the building viable for reuse. It’s expected to be affordable housing at some point in the future.

Hopefully, the school district will continue to sell off vacant properties to developers looking to reuse the buildings, improving the district’s bottom line and maintaining architectural diversity in neighborhoods around town. We’ll be sure to keep tabs on the redevelopment of these buildings, and will provide updates as we learn anything new.