School board committee urges city to acquire Jericho Road site for park

The ad hoc committee charged with studying the school property on Jericho Road has recommended that the city acquire the site now occupied by the Bayside Sixth Grade Campus for open space or a neighborhood park, committee chair and School Board member Miss Williams told the Virginia Beach School Board at its administrative workshop.

The recommendation, adopted unanimously by the six voting members of the committee, would transfer or sell the property to the City of Virginia Beach with a condition that it be used for open space or park purposes. "Every voting person on that board ... voted for option 3," Miss Williams said, summarizing the committee's 6–0 vote in favor of Option 3.

The committee reviewed seven disposal and reuse options and narrowed its preferred choice to a transfer or sale to the city with the requirement that the land be reserved for park or open-space use. The property comprises three parcels: the Pembroke Elementary parcel (about 13 acres, increased in the committee's conceptual plan to about 17.8 acres to preserve parking and bus loop space), the Bayside Sixth Grade Campus parcel (about 13 acres and identified as excess at the end of the school year) and a triangular former treatment-plant parcel of roughly 5.5 acres.

Melissa Ingram, a school system staff member who helped prepare exhibits for the committee, summarized the procurement options: "An RFP would have a much more defined reuse of the property... An RFI would still allow the property to be looked at by the general community to understand marketplace values, but would allow them to give us different options for possible use of the property." The committee's favored Option 3 would instead transfer or sell the property directly to the city with park-use restrictions.

Committee members said the surrounding Aragona neighborhood of roughly 3,000 homes is underserved by public parks and has asked for nearby open space for years. Committee materials in the board packet note the neighborhood lacks a neighborhood city park within walking distance. Local civic-league representatives participated on the committee and, along with city council members on the committee, voted for the transfer recommendation.

The committee also discussed practical and financial obstacles. Subdividing the property will require adjusting property lines so that no boundary crosses a building. That will likely require demolition or partial demolition of the existing Bayside building before a clean subdivision can be recorded; demolition estimates discussed at the meeting ranged from about $250,000 to $1 million depending on conditions found during demolition. Committee members noted an empty, unmaintained building also carries costs and risks: staff cited about $40,000 per year in holding costs for an unused structure.

If the board adopts the committee recommendation, the transfer still requires action by city council. Committee members and city representatives on the panel said council would likely need to agree both to accept the property and to the destination of sale proceeds if the district sells the land rather than gifts it. The committee discussed using one-time reversion funds to cover demolition and initial park improvements if the city accepts the property as a gift.

Members outlined a possible timeline that would allow the board to vote on disposal direction by August, provided any RFP or RFI work were started earlier. Legal and subdivision work, city council approval and the procurement or transfer process could extend the timeline; staff cautioned that prior projects have taken longer than projected and that an RFP/RFI route would add months for proposals and review. The committee also recommended a short-term lease as an interim option if the disposal process extends and the district wishes to avoid leaving the building vacant.

The school board did not take a final vote on the committee recommendation at the workshop; members discussed next steps and agreed to return the matter for further consideration and for the board retreat. The meeting moved to a closed session on other matters later in the agenda.