Current Site
The Current Site is comprised of 14 acres of improved land, located between Beaver Road and State Route 65 in the Borough of Leetsdale. It is zoned “Commercial” which expressly permits a school to be operated thereon. Seventy percent of the land is in a 100-year Flood Plain which a 2016 QVSD study cites as a major deterrent to redevelopment. What it fails to mention is that all of Quaker Village Shopping Center and most of the Buncher, Leetsdale and Port Ambridge Industrial Parks lie in that very same flood plain. There are limited restrictions to developing land in a flood plain but, some permitting and occasional modified footings/foundations are necessary. The study concludes that further development of the site would be “impractical and costly” without providing any studies or cost estimates in support thereof. Setting aside the risks of rezoning, clearing and grading the Hilltop Site, it seems prudent to challenge that assertion by comparing the cost to prepare the Hilltop Site to bring it to an equivalent “shovel ready” (to the point where buildings can be constructed thereon) state on which buildings can be constructed. The table below compares relevant attributes and estimated costs sourced from publicly available materials.
Based upon the information currently available, the estimated cost to prepare the land for the development of a new high school on the existing site is between $4.5 million to $6 million while the estimated cost to prepare the land for the development of a new high school on the Hilltop site is between $30 million to $37 million. In summary, it is estimated to cost $25 million more to prepare the land for the development of a new high school on Hilltop site before a shovel even goes in the ground for the actual buildings themselves.
Current Building
In addition to having the advantage of being in a “shovel ready” condition, the Current Site includes a high school facility of approximately 126,500 square feet, yielding 210-square-feet per student This compares favorably with the national median of 169-square-feet per student. While certain expected deficiencies in a building of this age have been cited (roof, HVAC, accessibility), no estimates of the cost to address them have been provided. Similarly, any building can be renovated or expanded, and its interior spaces reconfigured to accommodate current and future needs. This option was discounted out of hand with no justification or detailed facilities plan. An often-cited Brainspaces Study calls for the near doubling of the high school by erecting a 220,000 square foot facility, or 350 square feet per student. This, despite the findings of a demographic survey showing a static population. No justification has been provided as to why such a large facility is required nor have any cost estimates for the construction of the new campus been provided. Notably, “overcrowding” was not cited as a shortcoming of the existing structure. Not only is the existing site improved with a high school, it is also improved with utilities, roadways, parking lots, lighting, sports fields, stadium and ancillary structures. The estimated costs to replicate these on the Hilltop site range between $10 million and $15 million. So, in total, the Hilltop Site is at a $50 million competitive disadvantage over working with the Current Site and existing buildings. Which site should be considered “impractical and costly” to develop?
Relavant Links
Click Here for Demographic School Analysis: Population Projections for the QVSD
Click Here for Details of Existing Site
Click Here For QVHS Facility Update Study
Brainspaces Study
