URA Details Selling of School Buildings

Community activists learned more about efforts underway to sell off 18 closed Pittsburgh Public school buildings. The Pittsburgh public school district is spending about $2 million a year maintaining the closed buildings so there is some pressure to sell quickly but the board wants to make sure the properties are put to thee best use not just awarded to the highest bidder. The District has teamed up with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh to figure out how to best move the land onto the tax rolls. URA Director of Real Estate Kyra Straussman says the highest use may not be the best use. She says if a developer wants to divide the school into 400-thousand dollar lofts in a neighborhood that can only support $50 thousand homes the URA may try to look for another option. Straussman says while some of the buildings are very marketable others will be hard to sell. Part of the URA’s evaluation process is not only making sure a buyer has the cash to make the purchase but also has the ability to sustain the property. Straussman says that is why it may be hard for non-profits to open community centers. Requests for proposals will be written with community groups in mind to make sure a building is used in both a sustainable and community friendly manner. A school official says the board is for the most part against the reuse of the buildings as charter schools and would like to see the buildings put onto the tax rolls rather than used by a non-taxable organization.