Bloomfield Hills School Sells Property to Developer for $3.5M

Bloomfield Hills, MI — The school board in Bloomfield Hills hasn’t sold a piece of district-owned property and decades, but voted unanimously last week to sell its Wabeek property for $3.5 million to a housing developer

Hunter Pasteur Homes Baron Estates, LLC, plans to develop a 21-lot subdivision on the tract of land off Long Lake Road. Homes will range in price from $800,000 to $2.5 million.

The district purchased the 18-acre site for $203,600 in 1971.

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“It was time to sell,” Superintendent Rob Glass said in a news release on the district’s website. “Families who are hunting for a home in our district will have more options and opportunities, the district will hopefully see increased enrollment and neighboring homeowners will hopefully see an increase in their own property values. We are very pleased with the sale.”

The last time the district sold some of its property was in 1979, after the old Vaughn Elementary School was sold. Before that, the district sold the former Circle School in 1945.

More properties could be going the way of the Wabeek property. At the June 29 meeting, the board also voted to demolish the Pine Lake and Hickory Grove elementary buildings, clear the land and sell those properties to private developers as well.

At its peak, the former Pine Lake Elementary School, located at 3333 W. Long Lake Road in West Bloomfield Township, had an enrollment of almost 700 students. It opened in 1958 and closed in 2009. The 26.6-acre campus includes four separate parcels, each zoned for residential development.

“I have mixed emotions about demolition and would imagine the community does, too,” Glass said about the two former elementary schools. “Though I am pleased we will no longer carry the operating costs on our books, there are a lot of memories in those buildings. And even though we closed them long ago, the sites were a significant place for many people.”

Robertson Brothers Homes has already approached the district about buying Hickory Groves to build 34 detached condominiums.

“It’s a wonderful proposal and would provide additional housing options for new and existing residents,” Glass said. “However, we realize this is a big decision, so we will continue with the process this summer and should have a recommendation by the Aug. 18 board meeting.”

It’s unclear how the Pine Lake property might be developed. Glass said the district is reviewing options.