10A | AUGUST 12, 2021 |
SCHOOL from A9
tirely attractive option for
a district trying to manage
a gradually draining bond
fund.
Lastly, option three was
to sell the property off with
conditions.
Aft er much deliberation,
in May 2019, the school
board voted unanimously
for the third option — to
sell the property under the
assumption it would be re-
zoned from R1 to R2 and
that abatement of the as-
bestos could be stipulated
upon sale.
Th e land was successful-
ly rezoned in July that year
in hopes it would allow
the property to be used to
develop a wider variety of
housing types including
duplexes and multifamily
dwellings to help address
Cottage Grove’s housing
needs.
Th is decision was met
with some resistance from
local residents at the time
who felt they had been
cheated out of a bond
promise for a community
recreation area.
“On their list of prior-
ities, I don’t know that
they checked in with the
community,” said neigh-
borhood resident Molly
Patterson to Th e Sentinel at
the time.
Th e district then post-
ed a request for proposal
(RFP) in September 2019
which stated that the prop-
erty would be sold “at a
fi xed price of $400,000
under the condition that
the developer completes
the abatement, and/or re-
moval of asbestos and lead
paint in the building or
demolition and removal of
the building.”
Th ough real estate ap-
praiser Duncan & Brown
had put the property val-
ue at around $745,000, the
SLSD board voted to sell
the property for the sub-
stantial discount due to
the cost of dealing with the
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
toxic materials.
“Th e $400,000 net value
of the property is based
upon an appraisal of the
property less the cost of
abatement and/or removal
of asbestos and mitigation
of the lead paint in the
building,” stated the RFP.
Th e board subsequently
selected three proposals
for consideration by com-
mittee.
A proposal by Homes
for Good, Lane Coun-
ty’s low-income housing
agency, was passed over.
Th e agency had proposed
a target demographic of
individuals and families
making 50-80 percent of
median household in-
come, though the proposal
did not allow for the degree
of home ownership sought
by the school district.
Instead, board members
unanimously voted on Jan.
6, 2020, to begin negotia-
tions with Blackstone Inc.,
a business owned by local
developer Len Blackstone,
who submitted the other
two proposals.
Both proposals outlined
plans to create Harrison
Village, a unique “pocket
neighborhood” develop-
ment.
Th e concept consisted
of a planned community
of small clusters of dwell-
ing units surrounding a
courtyard, garden or other
shared open space.
“Th e beauty of concept is
that it focuses on building
community, as opposed to
only providing housing,”
Blackstone said.
Th e Blackstone propos-
als estimated between 90-
100 units could be built
on the 6.84-acre property,
consisting of a mixture of
housing such as duplexes
and single-family homes.
It also allowed for home
ownership as opposed to
management, which the
school district preferred.
“More housing is one
of the goals,” said Assis-
tant Superintendent Brian
McCasline following the
decision to go with Black-
stone. “Another goal of the
school district is to be able
to house our staff here. In
the school district’s in-
terest, we have lost some
staff in the past — and in
the very near past — to
positions in Eugene and
Springfi eld where there’s
housing available.”
Th e homes targeted po-
tential homeowners who
fell between 80-120 per-
cent of median household
income with an estimat-
ed price range between
$195,000 to $295,000 per
home and monthly rents
in an expected range of
$900 to $1,500.
Blackstone’s two pro-
posals diff ered in that one
involved removing the old
Harrison building while
the other did not.
Th e Blackstone proposal
with the school building
removed states, “Th e pro-
poser off ers South Lane
School District’s full ask-
ing price of $400,000 and
accepts all the terms and
conditions of this RFP and
any addenda.”
However, as months
passedf following the sale,
no construction work had
been done and the old Har-
rison building remained
unchanged,
prompting
questions as to the fate of
the building and property.
“Plans sometimes get
interrupted,”
explained
Blackstone. “In my case, it
was COVID.”
As COVID-19 dominat-
ed the landscape of 2020
and impacted his ability to
secure a commercial real
estate loan, Blackstone’s
aspirations for Harrison
Village began to evaporate.
Th e land has since been
partitioned into two lots,
divided in half just 75 feet
south of the southern edge
of the school building. Th e
645-foot-long
southern
lot was later sold to Eu-
gene-based Hi-Valley De-
velopment Corporation.
Th e company has re-
cently started develop-
ment on Harrison Village
Apartments, a complex of
80 apartments units clus-
tered in a community of
10 apartment buildings,
all two-story. Th e plan
calls for a mix of one- and
two-bedroom units.
Earlier this year, how-
ever, when a posting of
the land for sale indicated
it was on the market for
much more than it was
bought, Blackstone be-
came the target of specula-
tion that a bait and switch
had taken place.
A main point of confu-
sion rested in whether or
not the building’s asbestos
abatement and/or remov-
al were stipulations in the
sales contract. According
to those close to the sub-
ject, the indication was
that they were not.
Blackstone himself has
stated as much.
In response to the pub-
lic speculation, he released
a public letter in March
this year which stated that,
“Th ere was no requirement
or preference communi-
cated to interested pur-
chasers that the old school
building be renovated or
removed. ... In the private
selection process, com-
mittee members may have
expressed a preference; but
the only information I re-
ceived at the end was (1) I
had been selected, and (2)
I could choose to remove
or renovate the building.”
Furthermore, the dis-
trict did not specifi cally
select either of the two
proposals, Blackstone ex-
plained to Th e Sentinel, but
rather simply chose him as
the developer.
During the process,
Blackstone recalled asking
about any work that was
required to be done on the
building.
“I asked multiple times,
‘Was there any require-
ment about what you want
done with it, any perfor-
Th e question of the
school’s safety has been a
focus over the nine months
ACE has been looking into
purchasing the building,
she said, and the site has
received multiple walk-
throughs from offi cials and
contractors in that time.
In addition to fi re safety
and other improvements,
ACE has taken into con-
sideration the presence of
asbestos and lead paint in
the old building.
Sahnow pointed out that
the bloated occupancy of
the previous student popu-
lation was what in part cre-
ated the need for renova-
tions and upgrades which
would have disturbed any
hazardous materials.
ACE has enlisted ar-
chitect Trace Ward, one
of the principals from
Eugene-based company
GLAS Architects, to help
with the school’s transition
into the building. Ward
was present at last week’s
neighborhood meeting to
answer questions.
Ward’s current assess-
ment is that the build-
ing can safely house the
school’s 150-student popu-
lation aft er renovations are
complete.
“Our intent with the
architect is obviously to
make the building safe for
kids,” said Sahnow. “We
have no desire to put kids
in a building that’s not
safe.”
Among the concerns
raised in the district’s list
back in 2016 was the pres-
ence of asbestos in the
roofi ng, near steam piping,
on temperature pneumatic
controls, in window glaz-
ing and in fl oor tiles.
Bans on asbestos began
in the 1970s and by 1989
the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency had large-
ly banned asbestos in new
materials and called for
all school buildings to be
inspected and repaired if
mance, any issues?’ And
the answer was ‘no,’” he
said. “And so, as far as I
knew, there was no expec-
tation.”
Th is was in part why two
proposals were submitted,
he explained.
“If it was clear to me
that they wanted only the
abatement option, why
would I double my costs?”
he asked.
In any case, Blackstone
added, his intention was
to abate the school and
build his development, a
plan which turned out to
be ill-fated, upset by the
pandemic.
Aft er selling the prop-
erty, which is currently in
escrow, he said he will turn
his attention to other proj-
ects currently in planning
stages, which he hopes will
benefi t the community.
Should ACE end up
buying the old Harrison
school and fi eld, this will
close Blackstone’s chapter
with the property.
“It’ll be great for the
community,” said Black-
stone of ACE’s potential
ownership. “And for par-
ents who want their kids
to go there, they’ll have a
much better place to go.”
Building Safety
Still, ACE will face its
own challenges to claim-
ing a new home. One will
be the public perception of
the old Harrison building
itself.
To address concerns
and as part of obtaining
the conditional use per-
mit, ACE hosted a neigh-
borhood meeting last
week speaking to families,
though Sahnow noted she
hoped for a higher turnout
of area residents consider-
ing the school’s intention
to be a community part-
ner.
“Th ere was no one from
the neighborhood who
came with questions,”
Sahnow said, despite send-
ing out about 80 notices.
see BUILDING on A11
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