Roosevelt Elementary neighbors make preferences known for school property

IOWA CITY – People who live near soon-to-close Roosevelt Elementary School are hoping to avoid a bad neighbor.

At a neighborhood meeting in the school's gymnasium attended by about 25 people Tuesday night, residents again made clear that they do not want high-occupancy housing like apartments to take the place of the school, nor a strip mall, dormitory, gas stations or anything along those lines.

“We're trying to make sure that what's put here is something that the neighborhood is not going to be overwhelmed with,” said Mary Knudson, who lives near the school.

The Iowa City School District is expected to sell Roosevelt, at 611 Greenwood Dr., which is being replaced with Norman Borlaug Elementary a few miles to the west next school year.

The school board's decision in 2009 to close Roosevelt was met with opposition, particularly from residents of the area who said the school was a vital part of the neighborhood since it opened in 1931.

Now, residents of the Miller-Orchard Neighborhood are focusing on trying to ensure that what goes on the property meets their desires. They already complain there is too much high-occupancy housing in the neighborhood, which is within walking distance of the University of Iowa's health campus.

A low-occupancy use, like condominiums, would be acceptable to some.

Ideas that have been considered are selling the property to another government entity or the district re-purposing it for its own use. But the city of Iowa City, Johnson County and the UI are not interested in buying it at this time, Superintendent Stephen Murley said, and the district has no use for the property.

When they voted to close Roosevelt, board members said the building was too small, had too many deficiencies and constructing a new school made better financial sense.

Murley said he hopes the school board votes to list the property for sale at the end of the year, with a goal of selling it next spring so that the district does not have to pay to maintain it after the school closes.

While some neighbors want conditions placed in the purchase agreement restricting what the buyer does with the property, Murley said the district has no authority to do that.

If there are multiple offers the school board could weigh potential buyers' intentions with what they're willing to pay.

The approximately eight-acre property was appraised earlier this year at $770,000, which Murley said he and real estate agents believe is low. Another appraisal may be done prior to listing, he said.

The property is currently zoned for governmental use, and it would have to be rezoned by the city if it was to be used for residential or commercial uses, Murley said. He said school officials are making city officials aware of the residents' thoughts, and they'll do the same with potential buyers.

“We consider ourselves to be part of the neighborhood,” he said.

A rezoning request would be considered by city staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.