Surplus School Site Sold to Builder for $9 Million

The Board of Education of the Downey Unified School District has given its final approval for the sale of a surplus elementary school site to a Los Angeles-based home builder for $9 million.

The district will receive $6.75 million from M.J. Brock & Sons Inc. once the sale clears escrow, which could take as long as two years, said Gary Orsinger, assistant superintendent of administrative services.

The remaining $2.25 million will be paid as M.J. Brock sells the homes proposed for the 10.5-acre Edith Unsworth School site, which is in a residential area at 9001 Lindsey Ave.

The agreement approved by the Board of Education also enters the district into a limited partnership with M.J. Brock. In addition to the money from the land sale, the district will receive 35% of any profits generated by the proposed housing project, Orsinger said. Orsinger did not have a projection of those profits.

M.J. Brock must still secure necessary permits from the city to build the project.

District officials plan to use about $4 million of the money to renovate several buildings at Downey High School. The rest will pay for other building improvements throughout the district.

The district stopped using Unsworth as an elementary school in June, 1972, after a decline in enrollment. It then was used to house special education offices, which have been relocated to the district’s newly expanded administration center.