A $1.1 million deal to sell the closed Fort Lowell Elementary School was approved by the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board Tuesday night.
The sale is contingent on a rezoning of the property, which will clear the way for it to be demolished to make room for a mixed use subdivision.
The 8.5-acre site on the northeast corner of East Pima Street and North Rosemont Boulevard was purchased by 5151 Pima, LLC.
No further details were available about the future of the site, which has been closed since 2010 as a cost-savings measure.
Neighbors have voiced concerns about the lack of details and the idea of a mixed-use subdivision, saying they’d like to see the school repurposed in a way that benefits the entire community.
As is the case with most sale agreements with TUSD, the buyer is prohibited from using the property for a charter school.
Board members Michael Hicks and Mark Stegeman voted against the sale, with Stegeman expressing concerns that the price was too low.
While at least one member of the neighborhood association said he and a number of others had no idea the deal was in the works, TUSD has said it sent a notification to the association president and held a meeting last month attended by nine people.
In other business, the TUSD Governing Board approved the appointments of three new directors.Rachell Hochheim, currently the acting program coordinator for elementary leadership in TUSD, is the new director of community schools and PreK programs.
- Stephanie Boe, an executive producer at KVOA, was named director of communications and media relations.
- Sara Gamez, a senior TUSD human resources analyst, is the new director of employment.
