Developer Eyes Old School For Apartments

By Editor | February 21, 2024 |

The gym is located on the south end of the old Oakland school.

OAKLAND – District Four Supervisor Eddie Harris is searching for a new location to house his beat’s county barn following interest from a developer to purchase the property where it is currently located. The District 4 county barn is located on 12 acres on Hwy. 51 south of Oakland, a tract that also includes the old Oakland School building.

The prospect of selling the old school building and adjacent acreage follows more than a year of conversation among county officials to address housing shortages in the county. The plan is to sell the county-owned property to a developer to refurbish the old school building for use as apartment units.

Yalobusha County Economic Development District Executive Director Kagan Coughlin identified one of the first steps to make the project viable, submitting an application to the U.S. Department of Interior to designate the property as a historic site, allowing a developer to tap into tax credits to help fund the investment.

But Harris reported during the Feb. 5 county meeting that an Oxford developer and hotel owner has expressed interest in purchasing the property and doesn’t want to wait on the designation from the Department of Interior. Harris added that the developer’s plans are to make 18 apartments out of portions of the old school, and refurbish the former gym and cafeteria.

“Where are you going to move your barn?” District 5 Supervisor Gaylon Gray asked during the meeting.

“I don’t know yet,” Harris answered. “But I don’t want to hinder the county from selling that property because it is an eyesore.”

“It has been talked about for years, to get rid of it,” Gray acknowledged about selling the property.

Each of the county’s five district have a central headquarters, a county barn or shop used to store equipment and materials for road and bridge work and for equipment maintenance.

Initial steps in moving forward with the property sale discussed during the Feb. 5 meeting included obtaining a commercial appraisal on the property and finding another location for the District Four barn.

“We can advertise for bids,” Board Attorney Shannon Crow recommended. “If it is a price you like, you can enter into a contract with the purchaser. But before you do that, you need to find a place for your barn.”

The old school has been vacant since 2015 after the county terminated a lease with West Yalobusha Community Action. Asbestos issues inside the old school were cited following an inspection ordered by the former Board of Supervisors.

Board members had contemplated selling the property in 2015, but opted not to after an appraisal valued the building and 12 acres at $35,000.