New game: what school will/should buy Sidwell lower school campus and why?

[Anonymous]

In the thread discussing Sidwell's purchase of the Washington Home, some were speculating what might happen to the lower school in Bethesda. What school do you think will or should take over that space?

[Anonymous]

Any school that is currently in a building owned by MCPS should consider it.

[Anonymous]

JPDS-NC

[Anonymous]

GDS

[Anonymous]

Aidan Montessori?

[Anonymous]

WIS - good school but their campus is awful/factory like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the thread discussing Sidwell's purchase of the Washington Home, some were speculating what might happen to the lower school in Bethesda. What school do you think will or should take over that space?

It would have to be a school that had a current piece of property it could sell in order to finance the new purchase. That is how the game is played.

So any school looking to expand without giving up existing real estate is out. Too expensive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS

That is a non-starter since GDS currently has all of its campuses in the District, and the trend among private schools is to move into the District, not out of it. To wit, Sidwell's decision to purchase the Upper School-adjacent Washington Home campus, so that it can consolidate its Lower and Middle Schools on one DC campus.

I would sooner agree with a previous post on the "Sidwell Purchases Washington Home" thread, that says GDS should consider purchasing the Fannie Mae campus.

Anonymous wrote:If I were GDS I would buy the Fannie Mae property immediately, and retrofit those commercial buildings for academic use and purposes - to house the GDS Lower and Middle Schools.

Using the existing Fannie Mae buildings is likely easier to plan and permit, as well as less expensive, than the wholescale new construction of a Lower and Middle School onto existing - and limited - footprint of the expanded Upper School site.

Then take the recently bought properties near the Upper School, and turn those into much-needed fields and green space for the Upper School.

As to the old Sidwell campus in Bethesda, it will in all likelihood be sold to a residential real estate developer, the buildings will be torn down, and a new "exclusive" enclave of Edgemoor-adjacent, "tasteful" mini-mansions will be put up and aptly named "The Campus", "Sidwell Forest", or the "Estates at Edgemoor"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS

That is a non-starter since GDS currently has all of its campuses in the District, and the trend among private schools is to move into the District, not out of it. To wit, Sidwell's decision to purchase the Upper School-adjacent Washington Home campus, so that it can consolidate its Lower and Middle Schools on one DC campus.

I would sooner agree with a previous post on the "Sidwell Purchases Washington Home" thread, that says GDS should consider purchasing the Fannie Mae campus.

Anonymous wrote:If I were GDS I would buy the Fannie Mae property immediately, and retrofit those commercial buildings for academic use and purposes - to house the GDS Lower and Middle Schools.

Using the existing Fannie Mae buildings is likely easier to plan and permit, as well as less expensive, than the wholescale new construction of a Lower and Middle School onto existing - and limited - footprint of the expanded Upper School site.

Then take the recently bought properties near the Upper School, and turn those into much-needed fields and green space for the Upper School.

As to the old Sidwell campus in Bethesda, it will in all likelihood be sold to a residential real estate developer, the buildings will be torn down, and a new "exclusive" enclave of Edgemoor-adjacent, "tasteful" mini-mansions will be put up and aptly named "The Campus", "Sidwell Forest", or the "Estates at Edgemoor"

This is probably right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WIS - good school but their campus is awful/factory like.

This would be a non-starter for WIS as well, for the same reason, that is, that WIS currently has all of its campuses in the District, and that the trend among private schools is to move into the District, not out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS

That is a non-starter since GDS currently has all of its campuses in the District, and the trend among private schools is to move into the District, not out of it. To wit, Sidwell's decision to purchase the Upper School-adjacent Washington Home campus, so that it can consolidate its Lower and Middle Schools on one DC campus.

I would sooner agree with a previous post on the "Sidwell Purchases Washington Home" thread, that says GDS should consider purchasing the Fannie Mae campus.

Anonymous wrote:If I were GDS I would buy the Fannie Mae property immediately, and retrofit those commercial buildings for academic use and purposes - to house the GDS Lower and Middle Schools.

Using the existing Fannie Mae buildings is likely easier to plan and permit, as well as less expensive, than the wholescale new construction of a Lower and Middle School onto existing - and limited - footprint of the expanded Upper School site.

Then take the recently bought properties near the Upper School, and turn those into much-needed fields and green space for the Upper School.

As to the old Sidwell campus in Bethesda, it will in all likelihood be sold to a residential real estate developer, the buildings will be torn down, and a new "exclusive" enclave of Edgemoor-adjacent, "tasteful" mini-mansions will be put up and aptly named "The Campus", "Sidwell Forest", or the "Estates at Edgemoor"

"Cathedral Commons II".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WIS - good school but their campus is awful/factory like.

This would be a non-starter for WIS as well, for the same reason, that is, that WIS currently has all of its campuses in the District, and that the trend among private schools is to move into the District, not out of it.

What's factory-like about either campus of WIS? One is set on beautiful grounds in the woods but 2 blocks from a metro stop (how can you beat that?) and one is in a fully modernized building in upper Georgetown. Strange comment.

For a reality-based comment: JPDS or JDS should/will buy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS

Huh? It started the campus consolidation trend by buying the Safeway to move its lower school from the Palisades to Tenleytown to join the high school.

No single independent school in the area is big enough (or has the financial resources) to buy Fannie Mae and convert it for school use and add playgrounds and athletic fields. It might be more fitting for a college campus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS

Huh? It started the campus consolidation trend by buying the Safeway to move its lower school from the Palisades to Tenleytown to join the high school.

No single independent school in the area is big enough (or has the financial resources) to buy Fannie Mae and convert it for school use and add playgrounds and athletic fields[i]. It might be more fitting for a college campus

Really? Hmm . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS

Huh? It started the campus consolidation trend by buying the Safeway to move its lower school from the Palisades to Tenleytown to join the high school.

No single independent school in the area is big enough (or has the financial resources) to buy Fannie Mae and convert it for school use and add playgrounds and athletic fields. It might be more fitting for a college campus

And unless a school demolished some of Fannie's facilities in the back of the parcel, there's little space to put in an athletic field. So the property would be astronomical money for a very large building, but less usable space than meets the eye.