The schools, built in the early 1970s, are no longer used by the district. A process was started in June 2007 to figure out what to do with the properties, with intensive participation by the local communities. The result was the desire to keep the properties as learning institutions if possible, such as a charter school, and non-traffic attracting other uses as a second choice, says Paul Donovan with NorthMarq. The properties are zoned as office/residential, he says. "There could be business uses, such as a data center, or some residential uses such as affordable housing or senior care," Donovan tells GlobeSt.com. "Retail is not considered acceptable, these properties are set deep within neighborhoods."

The properties include the 51,184-sf Holland School at 1534 NE Sixth St., the 125,794-sf Franklin School at 1501 Aldrich Ave. N., the 45,280-sf Putnam School, at 1616 Buchanan St. NE and the 39,705-sf Morris Park School at 3810 56th St. E. The community, through a study created by Urban Design Lab, has decided that it wants the district to sell to owners that will keep Morris Park a school, Franklin as a school or community resource center, Putnam as a commercial arts center or nonprofit, and Holland as a green development, high-tech business or educational center.

A sought-after price is not being disclosed by the district, Donovan says. The sites can be purchased together or separately. He says there has been some interest, including by a company interested in putting in a data center. "We've had some inquiries from religious groups, and we expect to get interest from multifamily developers," Donovan says. The district has 12 properties total that are empty, and these are the first four to be offered for sale. The other eight sites' fate is undetermined, he says.