The former Kansas Avenue School building could have a new owner following the USD 253 Board of Education meeting Wednesday evening.
That’s because the board will consider a purchase offer from Frontier Development Group for the property at 315 South Market. Frontier is planning to purchase the property for $80,000 with $10,000 in earnest money on the condition that it can be successfully rezoned, designated a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID), and awarded a Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit (KHITC).
Exactly what Frontier is planning for the building has not been detailed, however, Frontier has a long and successful history of converting historic properties and former school buildings into housing. A local example is the Cottonwood Lofts development in Cottonwood Falls, with other projects including the Limerick in Alma and Spruce Apartments in Wamego.
On Wednesday, board members will receive the final construction update from McCownGordon for the Building for the Future Bond Initiative, receive second readings for handbooks and consider an amendment to the regular board of education meeting time and place for 2025. Two executive sessions, one for negotiations and the other for attorney consultations, are also on the agenda.
