Philly School Closure Plan Could Put 8 Properties On The Market As Mayor Eyes Conversions

The School District of Philadelphia is tentatively planning to close 20 locations over the next eight years, almost half of which could potentially hit the market.

The recommendation to close the schools came Thursday from Superintendent Tony Watlington, who earmarked eight properties to be either sold or conveyed to the city for housing or job creation.

The Board of Education is scheduled to consider the plan at its Feb. 26 meeting as the district faces a $300M deficit.

The properties slated to leave the district’s portfolio are primarily in outlying parts of Northwest, North and West Philadelphia. 

While parents and education activists have railed against the downsizing effort, Mayor Cherelle Parker believes the situation could be a boon for her HOME Initiative, which aims to build or preserve 30,000 affordable units citywide before the end of her term in December 2027.

“It’s unconscionable to me, that we are in the middle of a housing crisis and we have government buildings sitting vacant for years or even decades,” the mayor told Bisnow in a statement last month.

“We need to put this land to its highest and best use. We need to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods by building housing to replace these old and blighted buildings.”

The district’s vacant properties have been appraised at a collective $80M, Board Member Chau Wing Lam said last month.

The effort to repurpose vacant school buildings as housing has the support of Council Member and Education Committee Chair Isaiah Thomas.

Still, his legislative aide, Zach McGrath, shared concerns about the redevelopment of the former Germantown High School at last month's Board of Education meeting.

The building sold to a partnership between Jack Azran and Eli Alon in 2017, but McGrath said it ended up “all but abandoned, left derelict and developed into apartments that few in the surrounding community wanted.”

The former West Philadelphia High School has been converted into a 298-unit apartment complex called West Lofts. Brooklyn-based Strong Place Partners bought the building for $5.1M in 2015 and secured a $24M construction loan the following year.

Below is a full list of vacant district buildings that could potentially hit the market, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer:

• Academy for the Middle Years at Northwest — 6000 Ridge Ave.

• Rudolph Blankenburg School — 4600 W. Girard Ave.

• Fitler Academics Plus School — 140 W. Seymour St.

• Lankenau High School — 201 Spring Lane

• James R. Ludlow School — 550 Master St.

• Paul Robeson High School for Human Services — 4125 Ludlow St.

• Building 21 — 6501 Limekiln Pike

• The U School — 2000 N. Seventh St.