For five years now, Lee Middle School has sat vacant, and it may be several years before we see any activity on the property.
But for the first time since the school closed in 2011, there are real signs of progress.
The Columbus Municipal School District has entered into an agreement that will allow the Columbus Redevelopment Authority (CRA) to market the property to private developers.
Based on the CMSD’s inability to find a suitable tenant over the past five years, the decision to assign that responsibility to the CRA should be cause for optimism. The CRA board is in a far better position to achieve this task. They are businessmen and developers, who understand the dynamics of marketing property.
You do not have to be a businessman or developer to recognize that the property has great potential.
First, at 14.4 acres, it is a large site in an attractive location – along Military Road between Bluecutt Road and 18th Avenue. It’s proximity to Highway 82 makes it an appealing site for commercial development. It also has potential for residential development, being bordered on two sides by well-established neighborhoods.
With the proper tenant, the property fits in well with the growth we have seen along the Highway 45 Corridor.
Previously, two potential clients — a pair of churches — had made overtures to the CMSD to purchase the site.
But sometimes the best deal is the one you don’t make.
Selling the property to the churches would have been the worst possible move for both the school district and the city because it would generate no income for either, thanks to the tax-exempt status afforded churches.
Given the financial difficulties of both the school district and the city, development of the property — and the tax revenue it will produce — represents a major source of new income for the city and the school district.
Too, it may revitalize the area along that stretch of Military Road, raising the property value of existing businesses and encouraging further development.
Until now, the only tangible marketing efforts pursued consisted of erecting a “For Sale” sign on the property.
The arrival of the CRA represents the first real effort to aggressively market this valuable property.
Although the sale and development of the property may still be a few years away, there is now cause for optimism.
It’s the first time anyone has been able to say that.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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