2.5 billion in Charlotte-Meck Real Estate Projects for Public Schools

[RANYC]

Charlotte-Meck voters passed a bond referendum last night authorizing the issuance of muni debt to raise 2.5 billion for new school construction, school renovation, and athletic facilities.  This includes a new Medical and Technology High School in Uptown's 2nd Ward.  Because of the scale of development set to take place throughout the County and the potential of these projects to change a number of urban/in-town neighborhoods, let's give the projects a thread!

One key question is whether the design of these buildings will come with more pedestrian interconnectedness or integrate better into increasingly urbanizing surroundings.

 

▪ Albemarle Road Middle School --- Cost: $97.7 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 54 classroom baseline facility.

▪ Cotswold/Chantilly Montessori/Billingsville elementary schools --- Cost: $80.6 million --- Work: On-site replacement of Cotswold Elementary. Repurpose Billingsville to relocate Montessori PK-6 program. Chantilly Montessori would be demolished.

▪ East Mecklenburg High School --- Cost: $201.3 million --- Work: Final phases of work include replacement of campus buildings and comprehensive athletics package.

▪ Montessori Secondary at Marie G. Davis IB World School --- Cost: $9.2 million --- Work: Convert to grade 7-12 Montessori to replace use at J.T. Williams Montessori and expand the program; complete renovations at J.T. Williams for alternative education programs.

▪ Park Road Montessori/Sedgefield Elementary/Dilworth Elementary --- Cost: $89.5 million TOP VIDEOS --- Work: Relocate Park Road Montessori pre-K-6 program to converted Sedgefield Elementary. Replace Park Road with 45-classroom school for Dilworth. Repurpose Dilworth for a middle school magnet.

▪ Sedgefield Elementary School --- Cost: (included in $89.5 million cost of Park Road Montessori cluster) --- Work: Relocate Park Road Montessori pre-K-6 program to converted Sedgefield Elementary. Replace Park Road with 45-classroom school for Dilworth. Repurpose Dilworth for a middle school magnet.

▪ Dilsworth Elementary --- Cost: (included in $89.5 million cost of Park Road Montessori cluster) --- Work: Relocate Park Road Montessori pre-K-6 program to converted Sedgefield Elementary. Replace Park Road with 45-classroom school for Dilworth. Repurpose Dilworth for a middle school magnet.

▪ Garinger High School --- Cost: $54.9 million --- Work: Next phase of work includes kitchen/cafeteria, specialty classrooms, gym and athletic fields. Renovate and repurpose existing kitchen/cafeteria.

▪ New Second Ward Medical and Technology High School --- Cost: $176.8 million --- Work: Full magnet high school built on the old Metro site. Relocate program from Hawthorne site.

▪ Cornelius Elementary School --- Cost: $76.5 million --- Work: On-site replacement with a 45-classroom facility.

▪ Huntersville Elementary School --- Cost: $66.2 million --- Work: On-site replacement with a 45-classroom facility.

▪ New middle school No. 2 --- Cost: $92.4 million --- Work: Facility includes 54 classrooms at Stumptown Road to relieve overcrowding at Bailey Road Middle, Davidson K-8 and J.M. Alexander middle schools.

▪ North Mecklenburg High School --- Cost: $228.5 million --- Work: Final phase includes onsite replacement of campus buildings and comprehensive athletics package.

▪ Allenbrook Elementary School --- Cost: $74.2 million --- Work: Off-site replacement at Freedom Driving Range. Existing facility would be demolished.

▪ Berryhill School --- Cost: $104.3 million --- Work: Off-site replacement at a location to be determined. Existing facility would be demolished.

▪ Coulwood STEM Academy --- Cost: $92.7 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 54-classroom facility; STEM program would remain.

▪ Harding University High School --- Cost: $202.9 million --- Work: Final phrases of work that includes a comprehensive athletics package and building replacement.

▪ Wilson STEM Academy --- Cost: $92.5 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 54-classroom facility.

▪ Matthews Elementary School --- Cost: $79.9 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 45-classroom facility.

▪ New middle school No. 1 --- Cost: $101.1 million --- Work: Facility includes 54 classrooms to relieve overcrowding at Community House, Jay M. Robinson and Rea Farms STEAM K-8.

▪ Beverly Woods Elementary School --- Cost: $71.2 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 45-classroom facility.

▪ New middle school No. 3 --- Cost: $98.4 million --- Work: Facility includes 54 classrooms on N.C. 160 to relieve overcrowding at Southwest and Kennedy middle schools along with possibly relief for Quail Hollow Middle.

▪ South Mecklenburg High School --- Cost: $127.9 million --- Work: Final phase of work that will include on-site replacement of buildings and comprehensive athletics package.

▪ Steele Creek Elementary School --- Cost: $80.8 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 45-classroom facility.

▪ Northwest School of the Arts/First Ward --- Cost: $93.7 million --- Work: Final phase of work that will include new specialty classroom space and 9-12 conversion/expansion. Renovate First Ward as full magnet for grade 6-8.

▪ University Park Arts --- Cost: $73.1 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 39-classroom facility, including arts-specific spaces. Projects in design-only phase:

▪ Cochrane Collegiate Academy/iMeck --- Cost: $7.5 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 54-classroom facility. Relocate grade 9-12 iMeck program to Garinger High.

▪ J.T. Williams --- Cost: $1.6 million --- Work: Final phase to support alternative education.

▪ Villa Heights Elementary --- Cost: $6.2 million --- Work: Build a 45-classroom facility on Hawthorne site. Demolish existing Villa Heights elementary.

▪ West Regional Athletic Complex --- Cost: $9 million --- Work: New multi-sport regional athletic competition complex with gym, natatorium, stadium fields and ancillary spaces.

▪ E.E. Waddell High School --- Cost: $1.6 million --- Work: Build an addition.

▪ South Charlotte Middle School --- Cost: $7.7 million --- Work: On-site replacement with 54-classroom facility.

 

[CLTdev18]

Has anyone heard what is going to happen with the Chantilly Montessori land after demo? Is CMS going to build another school there?

[DMann]

Anyone know if this is tied into The Pearl?

 New Second Ward Medical and Technology High School --- Cost: $176.8 million --- Work: Full magnet high school built on the old Metro site. Relocate program from Hawthorne site

[CLT Development]

55 minutes ago, DMann said:

Anyone know if this is tied into The Pearl?

 New Second Ward Medical and Technology High School --- Cost: $176.8 million --- Work: Full magnet high school built on the old Metro site. Relocate program from Hawthorne site

It's in support of/in spirit of. I asked this question of CMS when they presented to the Planning Commission.

57 minutes ago, CLTdev18 said:

Has anyone heard what is going to happen with the Chantilly Montessori land after demo? Is CMS going to build another school there?

being relocated to Billingsville

Edited November 8, 2023 by CLT Development

[davidclt]

6 hours ago, RANYC said:

▪ Park Road Montessori/Sedgefield Elementary/Dilworth Elementary --- Cost: $89.5 million TOP VIDEOS --- Work: Relocate Park Road Montessori pre-K-6 program to converted Sedgefield Elementary. Replace Park Road with 45-classroom school for Dilworth. Repurpose Dilworth for a middle school magnet.

Any idea where the "TOP VIDEOS" is for this project?

[RANYC]

1 hour ago, davidclt said:

Any idea where the "TOP VIDEOS" is for this project?

There isn’t one.  Merely a copy and paste error. 

[CLT2014]

Bummer that Dilworth is losing a neighborhood school that local students can walk to. The new campus on the Park Road Montessori campus is at the very southern edge of the attendance boundaries for Dilworth Elementary and will require more parents to either drive or bus their kids.

 

[KJHburg]

5 hours ago, DMann said:

Anyone know if this is tied into The Pearl?

 New Second Ward Medical and Technology High School --- Cost: $176.8 million --- Work: Full magnet high school built on the old Metro site. Relocate program from Hawthorne site

this should go into the Wake Forest Center at 200 N College which is 90% vacant and now the building is going back to the lender in this case Wells.  We need to reimagine schools with construction costs increasing and increasing.  

[videtur quam contuor]

Dilworth school for ~125 years. Said to be the first school in NC with indoor bathrooms (toilets) for boys AND girls. Seems like a nothing claim but at the time, in this corner of earth, a major improvement.

[CLTdev18]

22 hours ago, CLT Development said:

being relocated to Billingsville

I know the school itself is being relocated, but what is the city going to do with the remaining land where Chantilly Montessori currently sits?

[stw52]

On 11/8/2023 at 5:12 AM, RANYC said:

One key question is whether the design of these buildings will come with more pedestrian interconnectedness or integrate better into increasingly urbanizing surroundings.

 

 

 

I would think that design should prioritize student / employee  safety over integration into surroundings, an impact of American's sad history of school shootings. 

[JHart]

20 hours ago, KJHburg said:

this should go into the Wake Forest Center at 200 N College which is 90% vacant and now the building is going back to the lender in this case Wells.  We need to reimagine schools with construction costs increasing and increasing.  

One of the wildest takes I think I've ever seen on this website.. 

[Windsurfer]

14 hours ago, JHart said:

One of the wildest takes I think I've ever seen on this website.. 

Really?  Why?   Seems like a brilliant idea to me.

[JHart]

On 11/10/2023 at 2:52 AM, Windsurfer said:

Really?  Why?   Seems like a brilliant idea to me.

You think it's a brilliant idea to try and use vacant office space as a new CMS medical and technology high school? There's so many reasons this is such a bad idea I'm not even sure how to begin listing them but right off the bat: the HVAC systems cannot handle the ventilation requirements for labs/medical equipment, the electrical infrastructure couldn't support the technology part of this magnet program, no outdoor areas or athletic facilities, no food preparation facilities, there's a tenant on the first floor and no dedicated lobby/elevator for security, and to top it all off this is still a privately owned building in the middle of bankruptcy litigation and we just passed bond funding to support construction of a purpose built magnet school so I'm not exactly sure why we don't think that will be enough money to build a new facility in the first place.. 

There is a lot more to a building besides the walls and a renovation to that extent would be much more expensive than building from scratch. I'm really not sure why people think these old office spaces can be repurposed into anything else in their current states. 

[NYtoCLT]

Has CMS made any statements about when they expect to break ground on any of these projects?  Is this the kind of thing where nothing will happens for years or do people expect movement pretty quickly?

[videtur quam contuor]

In the 1990's the Ivey's department store had closed and there was little retail use for the property. After much handwringing about the decline of downtown Charlotte, which was true at the time, a proposal was passed for a CMS bond referendum to re-use the building as a new Arts high school and to connect with the (fewer then now) facilities in the downtown area. In the voting the proposal for that bond lost. Shortly after, Jim Gross, noted local developer, bought the building for renovation to condominiums and then later the hotel as it is now. It was never clear from the bond presentations how the building would be repurposed effectively and efficiently. It was a short term problem married to a long term solution which carried much risk and expense. I voted no.

Vision, Charlotte had none

[Windsurfer]

14 hours ago, JHart said:

You think it's a brilliant idea to try and use vacant office space as a new CMS medical and technology high school? There's so many reasons this is such a bad idea I'm not even sure how to begin listing them but right off the bat: the HVAC systems cannot handle the ventilation requirements for labs/medical equipment, the electrical infrastructure couldn't support the technology part of this magnet program, no outdoor areas or athletic facilities, no food preparation facilities, there's a tenant on the first floor and no dedicated lobby/elevator for security, and to top it all off this is still a privately owned building in the middle of bankruptcy litigation and we just passed bond funding to support construction of a purpose built magnet school so I'm not exactly sure why we don't think that will be enough money to build a new facility in the first place.. 

There is a lot more to a building besides the walls and a renovation to that extent would be much more expensive than building from scratch. I'm really not sure why people think these old office spaces can be repurposed into anything else in their current states. 

It's a high school for heaven's sake, not Atrium.  

Besides, there're classrooms, and there are labs. 

I was personally involved in repurposing two buildings. One was a warehouse to office, the other office to warehouse. And, yes we gutted and reinstalled HVACs. 

[BJKM]

Ok I hear you about the other reasons but as someone who used to teach the classes taught at that particular school I can promise you their needs are low as far as space is concerned. Have you ever been in their current building? It is OLD as dirt. They’re not performing surgery. They learn a very basic intro to the medical world that at best qualifies them to be a CNA. The lab equipment uses regular outlets and all of their content is on their laptops. There is no need for anything other than normal ventilation as those classes are taught at other schools as well. Arguably it would be the safest school in CMS given the difficulty to access in a tower. Take south Meck as an example. Multiple entry points across 13 buildings. Very hard to secure. Most of those kids at Hawthorne do not do athletics and if they do, they do it at their home schools or in private leagues. I agree that we need to think outside the box for building repurposing though. I will say CMS typically likes to own their buildings so that’s another hiccup but I would just end with a changing world requires a change in thought. Just my 2 cents. 

18 hours ago, JHart said:

You think it's a brilliant idea to try and use vacant office space as a new CMS medical and technology high school? There's so many reasons this is such a bad idea I'm not even sure how to begin listing them but right off the bat: the HVAC systems cannot handle the ventilation requirements for labs/medical equipment, the electrical infrastructure couldn't support the technology part of this magnet program, no outdoor areas or athletic facilities, no food preparation facilities, there's a tenant on the first floor and no dedicated lobby/elevator for security, and to top it all off this is still a privately owned building in the middle of bankruptcy litigation and we just passed bond funding to support construction of a purpose built magnet school so I'm not exactly sure why we don't think that will be enough money to build a new facility in the first place.. 

There is a lot more to a building besides the walls and a renovation to that extent would be much more expensive than building from scratch. I'm really not sure why people think these old office spaces can be repurposed into anything else in their current states. 

 

[RANYC]

21 hours ago, NYtoCLT said:

Has CMS made any statements about when they expect to break ground on any of these projects?  Is this the kind of thing where nothing will happens for years or do people expect movement pretty quickly?

According to WAFE reporting, the following 4 should happen fairly quickly:

South Meck middle, South Meck High, Northwest School of the Arts (renovation underway as it converts to High School only), and 2nd Ward Medical & Tech Magnet.