After long dispute, Cary School District 26 will sell Maplewood property to village

Cary School District 26 will sell its Maplewood property to the village for $5.5 million and develop a new transportation site at another location after a yearslong dispute over the land.

The intergovernmental agreement spells out that the village will buy the property – home of the long-shuttered Maplewood School – for $5.5 million upfront, and the district will use the revenue to buy a new property for its long-planned transportation center. The village and district estimates that the agreement will save District 26 about $4.2 million from the original cost of remaining at Maplewood, according to district documents.

Both the village and school boards approved the agreement this week. The District 26 board approved the deal with a 5-2 vote Monday, and the village unanimously voted in favor Tuesday.

This comes after the village rejected District 26′s attempts to rezone Maplewood to allow for a new transportation center. The village offered to buy the property last year for $2.75 million, which the district declined.

District 26 originally planned to demolish the former Maplewood School building and construct a new, $6 million transportation center on the property. The transportation center will be allowed to stay at Maplewood until the new center at another location is completed, District 26 Superintendent Brandon White said.

A potential new location could be near the intersection of Three Oaks Road and Georgetown Drive next to Aldi. The proposed location consists of three lots totaling more than 7 acres that would be sold to the district. Two lots would be left vacant for the district to sell for future commercial development, according to district documents. The district aims for an “ambitious” completion date of its new transportation center by August 2025, District 26 Finance and Operations Director David Shepherd said.

The village has hopes of spurring development on the former Maplewood School property and getting the area back on the tax rolls. Previous developers have proposed the creation of multifamily townhomes or apartments, but all ultimately stepped away.

The village plans to pay for the property by issuing bonds that the village would pay back through the downtown tax increment financing district that was created last year.

Village Trustee Rick Dudek said this property is special because it’s one of the largest pieces in the downtown area that could bring “meaningful change” to the business district.

“I don’t want 400 units there,” he said. “We will all come to the conclusion that is best for the community.”

Many school board members voiced concerns about the agreement with the village, but they ultimately passed it because they saw it as the best option for taxpayers and their staff while avoiding costly litigation against the village over its denial of rezoning the land. The district and the village entered into an agreement in June to conduct negotiations and avoid going to court. That deal will remain in effect until either the district or village terminates it, and then a lawsuit still could happen, District 26 attorney Jason Manning said.

District 26 board member Jason Janczak said the agreement isn’t the result of cooperation, but rather a forced decision in which school board members had their “backs placed up against the wall.”

“There’s a saying around this town that whatever the mayor wants, the mayor gets,” Janczak said. “Unfortunately, that ethos has now infiltrated our cherished school system.”

Resident David Miller said at the Village Board meeting that he sees the agreement as a good deal for the school district in that the village doubled its price for the land, but he questioned whether it a good deal for local taxpayers.

“This seems like we’re overpaying,” he said. “I see no savings coming to the taxpayers.”

Village Trustee Ellen McAlpine said this is part of a long-term plan that will benefit everyone in the long run.

“It’s not about the village winning or the school district winning; it’s about the people of Cary winning, the children of Cary, the residents of Cary,” McAlpine said. “I’m thinking that it’s a great solution and that the residents of Cary should be very proud that they see boards working together.”