The Wyandotte City Council approved the demolition of McKinley School during its Aug. 29 meeting, but the building still might be saved if a last-minute proposal from Mo Beydoun of Safeway Acquisition Co. to convert the school to apartments is approved by the council during a future meeting.
Last-minute proposal still could save building
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – After struggling for years to find a suitable redevelopment project for McKinley School, the City Council approved the building’s demolition Aug. 29, but a last-minute proposal still might save it.
Mo Beydoun of Safeway Acquisition Co. of Dearborn submitted a proposal Aug. 26 to transform the former school building at 640 Plum St. into individual unit apartments, as well as single-family residences surrounding the existing building, with the park and the playground being preserved.
Beydoun said Safeway employees have toured the site with Downtown Development Authority Director Joe Gruber and said they are aware of the desires and concerns of city officials with respect to the site.
He said Safeway has worked on projects in more than 25 Michigan cities, and the company’s mission is to bring beauty, efficiency and value to the existing community environment.
Beydoun said Safeway has submitted notarized signatures, an anti-collusion affidavit and a $1,000 deposit, and will begin to develop a detailed plan for the site upon council approval.
The McKinley School site was acquired by the city in 2013 in a land swap with the school district. Now, nearly a decade later, the roof is failing and would cost an estimated $1 million to replace.
City Engineer Greg Mayhew said in an Aug. 29 memo to the council that there is more interest in the land for single family dwellings if the former school building were to be demolished.
He said the Department of Public Works has to spend significant time repairing and maintaining the building’s exterior due to break-ins and vandalism, and that most of the first-floor windows are covered with boards to prevent window breakage and unauthorized access.
Mayhew said the site is in a Tax Increment Financing Authority district, and Brownfield money might be available for some of the demolition costs.
TIF captures the increase in property taxes as a result of redevelopment to subsidize the project.
He said money from the Downriver Community Conference and from Environmental Protection Agency grants and loans might help pay for the asbestos survey and removal.
Mayhew said the demolition cost could range from $600,000 to $1.25 million, and the asbestos mitigation cost could range from one-fifth to half of the demolition cost.
He said if the building is demolished, there could be 14 single-family home lots on the parcel bounded by Plum, Cherry, 6th and 7th streets.
Mayhew said the infrastructure to support the single-family homes, including road, sidewalk and storm drain reconstruction, the addition of water service, as well as underground electrical, cable and phone, the installation of two new streetlights and relocating the park to the north side of Cherry Street, with improved amenities, would carry an estimated $720,500 price tag.
He said the sale of 14 lots would provide the city with $140,000 in revenue, and that about $107,800 per year could be generated in taxes if it were not a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone and based on 2022 assessment estimates.