Request for the reversal of the Sale of Sedgefield Middle School Property

& Key Talking Points

“Surplus” classification of property under question for the following reasons:

• City plans to increase density surrounding the light rail line.
• Area adjacent to school property has seen a 108% growth in apartment homes alone just since 2012 (that is an additional 9,000 units).
• Potential for redistricting and/or student reallocation requiring expansion of this site in the future.
• Absence of alternative close-in sites for additional schools to meet future demands of city.
• Revenue from any potential sale does not benefit the Sedgefield schools
• Several Sedgefield School key staff do not support the development of multi-family housing on that property.

Green Space in short supply:

• Sedgefield neighborhood has a paltry amount of green space, as does SouthEnd.
• Population increases will only make the above point more poignant.
• Charlotte’s investment in wetland preservation and creek improvements seem wasteful in light of the destruction of this green space. No impact studies have been conducted on the potential detriment to the adjacent wetlands surrounding this property.
• Given all the deforestation from Marsh development and adjacent SouthEnd, as well as many other areas in the vicinity, this property represents an actual tree save area that helps meet the city’s 50% tree canopy goal by 2050.

Process under question:

• Stakeholders (neighborhood associations, neighbors, parents of student body) unaware of sale and classification of this school property.
• Lack of understanding of method/process for classification of this property as “surplus” remains. Please provide this to us.
• Publication and notice of property sale. How and why was Pulte chosen?

** School board members and commissioners should not continue their practice of making decisions in a silo. In other words, this property sale decision cannot and should not be made solely on the basis of school needs. This decision is more complicated than that and the citizenry deserves a comprehensive approach by its elected officials that considers ALL the ramifications of selling this county property to a private developer.