Meeting on sale of Seaford school property

The Seaford school district will hold a special board meeting Thursday night to discuss a referendum on the proposed sale of the vacant Seaford Avenue School property to a private developer for $5.2 million.

The meeting will be at 8:30 p.m. in the all-purpose room of the Manor Elementary School, 1590 Washington Ave. in Seaford.

The referendum on the sale of the 5.66-acre property is scheduled for Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. If approved, the developer BK at Seaford Llc, a subsidiary of The Engel Burman Group, would be able to build 113 condominium units for residents 55 and older.

“If there is any change in the referendum vote it has to be decided in public,” Superintendent Brian Conboy said Wednesday. “The purpose of the meeting is to sort out all of what was heard in the meeting last week.”

More than 350 people crowded into the auditorium at Seaford High School last week. Some residents expressed opposition to the plan because of the density of the housing complex, possible traffic and parking issues, and the probable loss of three baseball fields on the property. Others said the additional tax revenue and senior housing are needed.

The sale would save the district about $100,000 in annual maintenance costs — the building has been vacant since 2010 — and create $500,000 in additional annual tax revenue, Conboy has said.

Above: Seaford School District Superintendent Brian Conboy relays questions from the crowd to developers during an Informational meeting regarding the proposed sale of the vacant Seaford Avenue School. (Oct. 4, 2012)