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YORKTOWN, N.Y. – The previously unused French Hill Elementary School building will be completely rented out to 12 separate tenants by Nov. 1, according to Tom Cole, the district’s assistant superintendent of business.
“I have one tenant who will be coming in Oct. 1 and another one right after that,“ Cole said. “At that point the building will be completely rented except for about six to eight [areas] that the district is holding onto for storage and an area for staff development.”
The building was one of four elementary schools in the Yorktown Central School District, but closed before the 2010-11 school year due to declining enrollment. Only 909 of the 3,619 students in the district this year are elementary school students, and Cole expects those numbers to remain static for the next three to five years.
Even if there were significant growth at the elementary school level, Cole said the district would still be a long way from needing to re-open French Hill. He said about 450 students would have to enroll in the district before that is considered. If the school ever does need to re-open, though, Cole said the district will be prepared.
“The leases are from anywhere from one to 10 years, depending on the tenant,” he said. “Each lease has a clause in it that allows the district to take the school back in the case of increased enrollment.”
Current tenants are: Energize New York, Soaring Eagle Physical Therapy, Laurie Kelleher Chiropractic, Northern Westchester Music School, Eclipse Theatre Company, Yorktown Athletic Club, Oxygen Volleyball Club, and the Yorktown Youth Soccer Club.
“I have a day-care provider that I should be having a decision on by [Tuesday] and I have one other local group that is ready to sign a lease,” Cole said. “Then I have the property manager, McGrath Associates, will be moving in somewhere around Nov. 1.”
Cole has set an annual rent revenue goal of $320,000 to properly maintain the building, and any excess revenue will be put toward the school budget.
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