Brentwood UFSD previews options for 1734 Brentwood Road property; SED variances, parking and program type remain open

At a June 5 Brentwood Union Free School District workshop, district architect Bill Wispower presented schematic renderings and program options for a property the district purchased at the corner of Brentwood Road and Sixth Avenue, which staff and board members referred to as the “1734 Property.”

Wispower described two schematic approaches — a two-story plan and an optional three-story massing — and recommended demolition of a poor-condition front portion of the existing structure while renovating a more serviceable building at the rear. He said classrooms in the proposed plans would be roughly 800 to 1,000 square feet and could include flexible partitions for combined or subdivided instructional spaces.

“The size of the classroom is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood between about 800 to a thousand square feet,” Wispower said.

Program options and constraints

District leaders and board members discussed several potential uses: a career and technical education (CTE) center to expand graduation-plus pathways, a satellite facility for specialized or alternative programs, expanded cosmetology or vocational suites, space for online or blended programming, or administrative offices. Staff also discussed keeping some UPK (universal prekindergarten) services where they currently partner with community-based organizations because limited play and site space may make moving UPK impractical.

Wispower cautioned the board that the site is “below standard for SED” (the New York State Education Department) and that “you would have to get a variance” if the district pursued a layout that required more site area or different parking. He said the site could stage about four buses at a time in a planned layout but that a three-story option would strain parking and create neighborhood traffic concerns.

Funding, timeline and approvals

Board member Miss Perrotta told the meeting the district purchased the building and has renovation funds set aside, saying, “The funding's already set aside. We purchased the building, you know, with funds that we had set aside, and we have money set aside as well with no increase to the tax rate to renovate the building.” Wispower and other administrators said final program, scope and budget will determine whether the district can obtain building aid for parts of the work; he explained how SED assigns building-aid units (BAUs) and the differences between elementary and high-school BAU counts.

Wispower said any program-driven approvals and building-aid discussions will take time: the district must select a program, submit preliminary plans to SED, and pursue variances or other approvals when necessary. He estimated the SED review and approval process could take “several months up to a year” depending on scope. Board members noted the overall timeline would be multi-year and that any program that includes full-day students raises additional concerns about play space, parking and neighborhood impact.

Community process and next steps

Board members and staff emphasized the presentation was preliminary and asked for community feedback before advancing a defined plan. Staff said they would post information on the district website and invite suggestions; administrators requested that community members contact Stacy O'Connor or Wanda Ortiz Rivera with potential sites or ideas. No formal vote or final program selection was taken at the workshop.