The details<\/p>\n
To decide on the future use of a closing school, AISD officials will evaluate whether the district will need the property within the next 20 years, according to AISD information.<\/p>\n
AISD may choose one of the following options for each property:<\/p>\n
Retain ownership while leasing a portion of the former school property to community partners or nonprofits in the short-termRetain ownership while leasing a portion of the former school property for 20-50 years to community partners or nonprofits who may renovate or upgrade the facilityRetain ownership while leasing land to for 50-99 years, which often involves a full demolition of all improvements on the sitePermanently sell the land and any buildings to a buyer for a one-time cash paymentRetain the property for educational use now or in the future while monitoring enrollment trends and planning for future facility needs and academic useThe district is considering leasing or selling Becker<\/a>, Dawson<\/a>, Ridgetop<\/a>, Sunset Valley<\/a> and Wid\u00e9n elementaries<\/a> as well as a portion of the land at Bedichek Middle School<\/a>. The Bedichek building will house several district departments, 18-plus programming for young adult special education students and community partners, according to AISD information.<\/p>\n Get involved<\/p>\n AISD will hold community meetings at the following dates and locations:<\/p>\n March 9 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Dawson ElementaryMarch 11 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Wid\u00e9n ElementaryMarch 23 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Sunset Valley ElementaryMarch 24 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Ridgetop ElementaryMarch 30 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Becker ElementaryApril 7 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Bedichek Middle SchoolAlso of note<\/p>\n In late January, the AISD board of trustees approved the sale of the former Brooke Elementary campus<\/a> in Southeast Austin, which closed in 2020, to Trammell Crow Company<\/a> and High Street Residential<\/a>. The development is slated to serve as a multifamily apartment complex with market-rate and affordable units above ground-floor retail, an AISD spokesperson told Community Impact.<\/p>\n In case you missed it<\/p>\n Community pushback and pending litigation has slowed AISD’s plans to sell the former Rosedale School campus<\/a> in North Central Austin to OHT Partners<\/a>. The developer has proposed building a 435-unit, market-rate apartment complex spanning six stories with a parking garage.<\/p>\n Some community members have argued that the deed restriction limited developers to building one house on a singular lot in the neighborhood and would not apply to a large apartment complex development.<\/p>\n At a Feb. 17 meeting<\/a>, the city of Austin\u2019s Zoning and Platting Commission<\/a> postponed a hearing on rezoning the property until March 17. Many residents shared concerns about the development bringing increased traffic and requested that the hearing be delayed until April 7.<\/p>\n Some residents said the developer\u2019s recent traffic study did not account for a current lack of traffic in the area, which is expected to increase traffic to around 1,580 daily trips, according to city documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is so fundamentally flawed in terms of what these 1,400 cars a day will do to the neighborhood,\u201d said Scott Morlege, Rosedale resident and retired real estate developer. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any way around this other than postponing, getting better data and information that we can all make a decision on\u2014that includes the developer.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/communityimpact.com\/uploads\/images\/2026\/03\/06\/413329.jpg\")
The Rosedale School, which serves students with severe special needs, moved to a new campus in 2022 and has since served as a training facility for law enforcement officers. (Chloe Young\/Community Impact)In late October, the district filed a lawsuit against many Rosedale neighborhood residents asking the Travis County District Court to interpret a deed restriction on the property and issue a declaratory action. The deed restriction, which originated in 1938, states that \u201cno lot of this subdivision shall ever be used for any other purpose than that of a residence.\u201d<\/p>\n