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Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) officially closed on Feb. 11, 2022, on the purchase of the 1703 N. Beauregard Street property. The School Board began exploring the purchase of the building in the summer of 2021. The Alexandria City Council endorsed the purchase of the building at the July 6, 2021 meeting. On Sept. 6, 2021, the Planning Commission found that the change of use was consistent with the City of Alexandria’s Master Plan, and on Sept. 18, 2021, the City Council appropriated the funding for the purchase.
The purchase of the 1703 N. Beauregard building allowed ACPS to update its original plan of constructing a new 600-student school to instead renovate an existing building, an adjustment that reduced the necessary project funding by $39.2 million in the FY 2023-32 Capital Improvement Budget.
“We are excited to finalize the purchase of this building, which is an important step towards achieving the goals set forth in the ACPS 2025: Equity for All Strategic Plan. As space in urban settings becomes more constrained, it is important for us to continue to use innovative practices to address our capacity needs,” said ACPS Superintendent Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
In the immediate future, this property will be used to relocate certain operations for the division. ACPS will use the property as a swing space for both the George Mason Elementary School and Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology modernization projects. This space will allow ACPS to move forward with its next two modernization projects without an increase in either project’s budget.
After the need for swing space is fulfilled, the facility will transition into a new 600-student school, either for elementary or secondary use, which the School Board will decide at a later date. There are ongoing discussions on how to best use the property’s campus-style feature for a new school in relation to its neighbor, Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School. Please visit the ACPS website for more information regarding the property.
“The success of Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School, along with nationwide examples of commercial space being converted for school purposes, proves that the retrofit of commercial spaces can be fiscally responsible and provide an equitable, high quality learning environment for students” said Dr. Alicia Hart, acting chief of facilities and operations.