Austin ISD aims to convert schools into housing

Your next apartment could be inside an old school .

Why it matters: As developers seek to repurpose empty space — and cities like Austin work to find affordable housing solutions — a mix of building types are on the table.

Driving the news: Representatives from Austin ISD and developer NRP Group will go in front of the city's Planning Commission on Tuesday to seek rezoning approvals for the Anita Ferrales Coy Facility in East Austin.

• Rezoning the facility, which sits on 18 acres and hasn't operated as a school since 2012, would allow the district to transform the site into housing for teachers, staff and the public.
• It's currently home to the district's Alternative Learning Center , and officials say repurposing plans include a modernized facility for the center, in addition to housing.

What they're saying: "People do not need to be employed by Austin ISD to rent one of the apartments," Jeremy Striffler, the district's director of real estate and asset management, tells Axios. "However, Austin ISD teachers and staff will be given priority when the apartments become available to lease."

• The district's goal is to develop up to 500 units of multifamily housing at a "range of market prices," superintendent Matias Segura told the Austin Chronicle last week .
• "It's a blended development, so it could be from 40 percent median family income up to 120 percent," Segura added. "Because we own the land, we can use that to protect affordability and also require the developer to create unit mixes that attract families."

Flashback: In a survey last year, 70% of AISD employees reported spending more than 30% of their annual income on housing, which classifies them as "cost-burdened."

The big picture: Shuttered schools accounted for 3% of U.S. apartment conversions in 2023, data shared with Axios shows.

• Former offices and hotels dominate the national conversion trend, comprising 28% and 36% of newly completed projects, according to a RentCafe analysis .

Zoom in: The Anita Ferrales Coy Facility is one of six Austin ISD sites that the district has identified for potential repurposing, whether that be for housing, shared work spaces, mixed-use community centers, child care facilities or something else.

• AISD staff members are working on a recommendation to the Board of Trustees about the future use of the former Rosedale Elementary School in Central Austin, which is currently being used by the Travis County Sheriff's Office and Austin ISD police for mandatory active shooter response training.

What's next: If the planning commission approves AISD's rezoning request of the Anita Ferrales Coy Facility, it will go before the full city council on July 18.

• AISD estimates that construction would start in the summer of 2025, according to Striffler.

Go deeper: U.S. school conversion trends

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the Anita Ferrales Coy Facility is currently being used for the Alternative Learning Center.

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