With the summer break in full swing, the Jefferson Parish public school system is moving forward with plans to demolish a half dozen campuses and sell the vacant land to developers.
But among the properties up for grabs, none is more valuable than Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies in Old Metairie.
Fronting the bustling corridor that is Metairie Road, the 8.3-acre property is expected to draw interest from developers nationwide for a simple reason: location, location, location.
The neighborhoods surrounding the property are densely populated with households that have among the highest incomes in the New Orleans metropolitan area -- making it a draw for both commercial and residential development.
According to Robert Hand, a broker at Louisiana Commercial Realty, the average income among households within a five-minute drive is $140,000.
For comparison, the income in the area surrounding Whole Foods Market on Magazine Street averages around $120,000, Hand said.
Furthermore, the property is centrally located, with easy access to Airline Drive, Causeway Boulevard and Interstate 10.
“That’s the heart of the artichoke right there,” said Bush Benton, an appraiser with Stegall, Benton, Melancon & Associates. “I think every major developer will be interested in that property.”
Public buy-in
No matter who purchases the land, however, they’ll need buy-in from the Jefferson Parish Council to make their plans come to fruition.
The property is currently zoned for single family residential use, which prohibits most commercial activity. In order to get that rezoned, a developer would need approval from the Parish Council.
Because the tract of land is so large, a residential developer would also need approval from the Parish Council to subdivide the property into lot sizes appropriate for new homes.
Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken, who represents the area, said developers have already reached out to her to express interest in rezoning the portion of the property fronting Metairie Road for commercial use.
She said members of the nearby Crestmont Park and Cottam Park civic associations “did not seem to object to that possibility” at a recent meeting.
Van Vrancken said she expects the portion of the property fronting Magnolia Drive to be developed into single-family dwellings.
With so much of Old Metairie already built out, such a large plot of undeveloped land is a rarity, Van Vrancken noted.
Demolition timeline
The Jefferson Parish School Board voted to demolish Haynes’ campus and sell the land as part of a sweeping school reorganization plan approved in April.
Still, it’s unclear when exactly the property would go on the market.
In May, the School Board declared Haynes’ campus as surplus property and selected Scairono Martinez Architects to oversee its demolition, budgeting $300,000 for the project.
However, a spokesperson for Jefferson Parish Schools said a demolition date hasn’t been set, adding that the focus at the moment is emptying the school property.
“It’s going to be as soon as possible,” said School Board member Clay Moise, who represents the area where Haynes is located.
The School Board at its meeting Wednesday is expected to select an appraiser and real estate broker for each of its surplus properties created by the reorganization, which include: Thomas Jefferson Academy in Gretna; Mildred Harris Elementary in Westwego; Helen Cox High School in Harvey; and Washington Elementary in Kenner.
Schools Superintendent James Gray in May promised the School Board that his administration would first have discussions with municipal officials in Kenner, Westwego and Gretna about acquiring those properties before razing them.
Haynes won’t be part of those conversations, however, because it's located in unincorporated Metairie.
As part of the reorganization, Haynes' teachers and students are moving into Grace King High School's building off West Esplanade Avenue.
A century of history
The decision to close Haynes’ Old Metairie campus and sell off the land marks the end of a century-long history.
The Jefferson Parish School Board first purchased the schoolhouse property in 1909, when Metairie was a rural landscape of dairies and farms.
When it purchased an adjacent parcel in 1939, the School Board had to promise it would never use the land for a “barroom or saloon” or sell or lease the property “to anyone except of the Caucasian race.” Of course, the latter restriction is now obsolete.
Before the campus is demolished, Moise said historically significant items -- including concrete friezes mounted on the gymnasium -- will be cataloged and preserved.
