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Moore Street School transfer stalled over subdivision and zoning steps; RPS to reengage city or consider leasing
Summary
RPS staff said legal, survey and zoning hurdles have blocked a planned quitclaim of Moore Street School to the Moore Street Foundation. The administration will reengage the city attorney to execute a previously proposed MOU; if that effort stalls by January, the board asked administration to explore leasing the building to the foundation with renovation responsibilities.
Superintendent staff updated the board on long-running efforts to transfer Moore Street School — an historic building attached to G.W. Carver Elementary — to a community foundation. The division's outside surveyor and the city identified multiple technical obstacles: the buildings are attached, required setbacks and parking cannot be resolved without defining the future use, a subdivision would require inspections and special-use permitting, and the property cannot be subdivided until those items are addressed.
District proposal: Administration said the best step attempted previously was a memorandum of understanding in which the city would take operations and retain ownership while seeking a buyer, with a future negotiated subdivision. That MOU has not been executed. As an alternative contingency, administrators proposed leasing the building to the Moore Street Foundation for a nominal rent while requiring the foundation to pay for renovation and upkeep.
Legal and timing concerns: The city attorney previously flagged inspections, zoning variance needs and public hearings as time- and cost-intensive steps. RPS staff committed to reengaging the city attorney and the mayor's office and said they will report back at the January board meeting on whether the MOU can be executed within a practical timeline; if not, the administration will present lease terms for board consideration.
Board response: Board members urged urgency and asked that RPS ensure any lease or conveyance preserves the project's funding opportunities; they cautioned that some funders expect ownership as a condition of grants and that leasing could affect the foundation's ability to raise capital. RPS staff will attempt a renewed push with the city and present options in January.
