The Berkeley Unified School District, or BUSD, approved a $3 million bid for the purchase of the district’s vacant property at 1130 Oxford St., the former site of Oxford Elementary School, on Wednesday. 

The bid, made in person at the school board’s regular Wednesday meeting by owner of development firm Panoramic Interests Patrick Kennedy, was the only one made. 

Steve Smith, co-owner of Norheim & Yost Commercial Real Estate — BUSD’s agent for the property — facilitated the bidding process at the meeting, banging a gavel to end the auction after 26 seconds of bidding.

“That was not exciting,” said BUSD Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel. 

The property, a 1.26-acre lot listed for sale at a minimum of $3 million dollars, was listed for “as-is” sale Aug. 5 after BUSD announced Oxford Elementary School’s closure in 2019. Oxford Elementary was relocated to 1222 University Ave. in 2021, and has been “in its new home” since, according to BUSD Spokesperson Trish McDermott.

Oxford Elementary School closed after a 2019 land survey confirmed the site’s position within the Keith Avenue landslide complex in the Berkeley Hills, bringing with it landslide risk for students in the event of a major earthquake.

“My gut (feeling) is that lots of people that looked at (the property) just decided that the $3 million price tag was just too much for what they wanted to do, given the slide, and what they would have to try and figure out on how to deal with the slide,” Smith said.

The sale was then opened up to public bidding, pursuant to education codes for the sale of “surplus” property. Interested parties were able to submit “sealed” bids to be opened at the Oct. 15 meeting, or make an oral bid at that meeting. No sealed bids for the property were submitted.

Smith received two pre-bid questionnaires from interested parties Oct. 10, though only Kennedy made an in-person oral bid. This was “sort of a surprise” to Smith, having been informed Wednesday that the other bidder would be sending a proxy to the meeting.

The board voted to accept Kennedy’s bid, giving him 10 days to make a deposit of 10% of the property’s purchase price.

Residents of Oxford Street have continuously expressed concern about the sale and future of the former Oxford Elementary School site. Oxford Street resident Gail Stempler has cited health concerns about the demolition of the old school.

“I would certainly want whoever bought it to keep us posted as to what they were doing,” Stempler said. “I would like to know that they were going to follow ecological (laws) to protect us, that the property would be totally encased when they’re going to be taking it down. We’d like to know how long it’s anticipated.” 

Stempler, alongside other community members, previously hoped the property would be replaced by another school or a community park.

When she realized the property was up for sale, Stempler said she felt that she and the neighborhood were not given “very much notice.”

“I was happy personally, to know that the property, given that it was basically publicly owned by a public entity, was offered to other public entities first,” Smith said. “It’s too bad a school, or some public facing entity couldn’t exist there, but it does make sense to not have several hundred kids in a location that could suffer or be compromised due to an earthquake and a subsequent fire.”