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District 211 to sell 62 unused acres in Schaumburg

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 will soon start soliciting buyers for an undeveloped 62-acre site it's owned for more than 45 years in a Schaumburg neighborhood.

The school board voted 6-1 Thursday to direct staff members to start advertising the land.

Board member Pete Dombrowski cast the sole dissenting vote after voicing disappointment the plan didn't more strongly prioritize the site as an opportunity for students in the district's homebuilding course.

The land is bordered by Summit Drive to the west and Plum Grove Road to the east; it lies between existing houses south of Weathersfield Way and north of Wise Road.

District 211 bought about two-thirds of the site for a potential new school in 1966, with the last 20 acres purchased in 1971.

Though the district received village approval to build on the site in 1974, a need for a new school wasn't recognized then and isn't anticipated now.

Village officials have long considered the site appropriate for single-family homes.

Though District 211 board member Anna Klimkowicz voted with the majority, she expressed concern the land hadn't achieved its original goal of serving students and said she wanted the sale money to be earmarked for that purpose.

She also suggested other local governments be contacted about their interest in buying any or all of the site.

Other board members listened to Dombrowski's suggestion of using some of the land for the district's homebuilding class, but they suggested working out an arrangement with a developer to reserve a few lots for those students.

Superintendent Dan Cates said the class is always looking for opportunities in the district, but he said there's a big difference between the finished lots it commonly uses and this undeveloped site with no utility infrastructure already in place.

Board President Mucia Burke agreed with waiting to partner with a developer for such an opportunity.

"We're still in the business of education; we're not in the business of real estate," she said.

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  Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board members Thursday voted 6-1 to sell the 62 acres between Summit Drive and Plum Grove Road, north of Wise Road in Schaumburg. Eric Peterson/epeterson@dailyherald.com, 2016
Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board members Thursday voted 6-1 to sell the 62 acres between Summit Drive and Plum Grove Road, north of Wise Road in Schaumburg.
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