The former McKinley School, 640 Plum St., Wyandotte, remains vacant, while city officials try to determine a redevelopment option acceptable to both the local residents and profitable to a developer.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – City officials are back to square one with the long-sought redevelopment of the vacant McKinley School building, following Coachlight Properties’ withdrawal of its third amendment to the purchase agreement request.
The Sept. 10 letter, signed by Joe DiSanto of Coachlight Properties, LLC, and Timothy Morgan of Jonesboro Investment Corp., essentially ends its involvement with the project, which has spanned three city councils and nearly seven years.
DiSanto noted neighborhood and council opposition to its latest proposal, which eliminated a significant portion of the city park, and added an assisted living facility and a memory care unit, which he claimed they needed in addition to independent senior housing to be profitable.
Local residents opposed the plan, upset over the loss of a neighborhood park, and fearing a disruption to their residential neighborhood, which would increase traffic and noise while risking a decline in property values.
The city of Wyandotte exchanged the school building with the school district years ago in a mutually beneficial land swap, believing at the time that city officials would be in a better position to redevelop the site than the school district.
In withdrawing its proposal, DiSanto said that without the park parcel and an extended time frame, the developer would be unable to profitably develop the site in a sustainable manner.
“During our research and market studies, we have come to realize that the city of Wyandotte has high demand for our proposed use, and the existing structure has architectural value,” the letter states. “However, based on the developments over the last six-plus months, we reached a decision that makes economic and community sense.”
DiSanto said he hopes city officials can find a redevelopment project for McKinley School that is embraced by residents while still being economically viable and sustainable.
Residents have suggested that if the school cannot be economically redeveloped, that an option could be to demolish the school building and build single family homes on a portion of the property while still maintaining a significant portion of the existing neighborhood park.