District outlines plan to list vacant school properties; local broker notes reuse hurdles

School District of Beloit leaders discussed listing several vacant district properties for sale at a May 20 Business Operations & Finance Committee meeting and in the full board session, inviting Century 21 broker Mike Marquette to describe the sales process and market interest.

Marquette told trustees his firm had responded to the district’s RFP, that there was already market interest and that typical buyers for decommissioned school property in the region include churches, private schools and locally based developers. He cautioned some reuse options would face constraints: the current zoning classification (referred to in the meeting as PL1/public institutional) limits likely reuses without rezoning; that restrictiveness could be changed through a municipal process but would add time. He also said the district’s McNeil property would require substantial work to meet contemporary uses and that redevelopment costs could be large — for example, a full rebuild of McNeil might be on the order of $100–125 per square foot, implying multi‑million‑dollar construction costs.

Marquette and the board also discussed site constraints. A broker familiar with local projects told trustees the West Side property includes limestone in the shallow soils and that developers often avoid basements in those conditions, which changes product type and unit pricing. Marquette said typical solutions for infill housing in limestone areas include slab foundations and multi‑unit approaches (townhomes or apartments) that do not require basements.

Trustees asked about potential deed restrictions and whether the district could limit future uses of sold properties. Marquette said deed restrictions can be written but noted a ‘‘straw buyer’’ or subsequent assignment could complicate enforcement and that the city’s rezoning process is the usual avenue to allow alternative uses.

Ending: The district will continue to work with Century 21 to finalize listing details and a sales timeline and return to the board with recommended listing prices and any proposed restrictions; Marquette said multiple local parties had already inquired about the properties.