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Bishop Heelan seeks city sale of 1100 Douglas Street to improve campus security; council authorizes notice to accept proposal
Summary
Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools asked the Sioux City City Council to issue notice of intent to accept a proposal to sell 1100 Douglas Street, saying owning the parcel would improve student safety and allow modest campus expansion; after extended debate the council approved the notice 3–2 and asked the school to present detailed expansion plans and development-agreement terms before final sale.
Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools representatives told the Sioux City City Council they want the city to offer 1100 Douglas Street for sale to the school, saying ownership would let them close a gap in campus fencing and reduce daily public trespass near preschool and kindergarten facilities.
John Flannery, identified as president of Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools, said the parcel currently acts as a pass-through alley used by visitors and transient individuals and that acquiring it would allow the school to construct a continuous security barrier, better control access points and protect students during school hours. Flannery described the parcel’s current use as parking for the CYO building and said the school has invested about $1.5 million in the CYO facility over the past eight years.
Jessica Felix, representing Bishop Heelan’s board of education and speaking for the Cathedral of the Epiphany, said the parcel is in close proximity to multiple campus buildings and is used for religious processions and other activities; she said buying the property would preserve an “institutional block” around the campus and align with the city’s comprehensive plan for institutional uses.
Several council members pressed the school’s representatives on past agreements, campus plans and the potential for a future public street to sever school property. Council members said they wanted concrete expansion and site plans, and made clear they expect a development agreement with explicit commitments on fencing, landscaping and future use conditions. One council member said similar land-sale approvals in the past had not always been followed by promised improvements and urged the school to provide enforceable commitments.
After about an hour of discussion covering safety concerns, prior informal agreements and broader downtown development goals, the council voted 3–2 to issue the notice inviting proposals and to indicate intent to accept a proposal from Bishop Heelan. Supporters cited immediate safety benefits for preschool and kindergarten students and the school’s investments in the neighborhood; opponents said they wanted stronger upfront assurances about how the property would be developed and maintained.
Next steps: city staff will return with the formal development agreement and the school’s more detailed campus-expansion plans for council review before any final conveyance. The council’s approval at this meeting was limited to issuing the notice and declaring the city’s intent to accept a proposal; no sale or transfer occurred at the meeting.
