Downey : District Signs Another Pact to Sell Unsworth Property

The Downey Unified School District entered into an agreement this week to sell the vacant Edith Unsworth Elementary School to a developer who plans to build single-family homes on the 10.5-acre site.

The district hopes to receive $8 million to $9 million from the sale, Supt. Edward A. Sussman said. The final amount depends on how many homes the city permits the developer, Lewis Homes, to build.

Lewis Homes has proposed paying the district $6.32 million to $7.83 million for the school site. In addition, the district would receive half of the profits from the development. District officials hope their share would amount to at least $1 million.

District officials plan to use at least $4 million from the sale to renovate Downey High School.

Last summer, the district agreed to sell the Unsworth school property for $9.1 million to another developer, who also wanted to build homes. But that developer clashed with city planners, who were concerned about the high density and narrow streets of the proposed project. The real estate market then softened and the developer canceled the agreement with the school district last February.