THE North Vancouver school district is taking another stab at selling or leasing the defunct Monteray school as well as firming up plans to divest itself of Cloverley elementary and the much larger Lucas Centre buildings and lands.
The school board is set to review a draft Request for Proposals for reuse or redevelopment of the Monteray property in the Upper Delbrook area before sending it out to the public.
"It has been sitting empty for a couple years and I think the community is starting to wonder what's happening with this site in terms of overgrowth and vandalism and various things an empty building facility attracts," said board chairwoman Franci Stratton.
This is not the first time Monteray has been put up for sale. The board put out an RFP last year at the same time it put out ones for Ridgeway Annex and Plymouth elementary.
The responses that came in, however, did not meet the criteria the board had in mind for the site.
"We didn't really get back anything that was significant so we thought of reintroducing that. It was just the proposals that came in were not conducive to what could potentially be done with the site," Stratton said. "It's a second attempt to see what's out there."
Cloverley and the Lucas Centre, are going to require some more groundwork before the school district can put them on the block, so the board will be seeking out outside expertise.
"They are two significant properties in the city that require the dedication of a consultant to work closer with the community and the stakeholders, working on our behalf," Stratton said.
As for what could happen with the sites, all options are on the table, Stratton said, but the consultant will work with the City of North Vancouver to make sure any change in land use is compatible with the city's official community plan, which is now being updated.
"There is a lot of consideration for the Lucas Centre in terms of what could potentially happen there. There are soccer fields. There are buildings. There are various components to that site that could lead to all sorts of creative ideas and opportunities there," Stratton said.
"We're open to all future possibilities on this site. Everything will be consistent with the land, learning and livability guiding principles and we'll work closely with the City of North Vancouver so we're aligning our process."
Last year, the school district identified 11 surplus properties no longer needed for school use.
The board is in the final negotiations for the sale and rental of Ridgeway Annex and Plymouth, respectively.
