Wichita district has potential buyer for land near Jackson Elementary

Wichita school board members will consider a proposal Monday to sell about 17 acres of land adjacent to Jackson Elementary for $750,000.

The land, at 29th Street North and Woodlawn, is one of six surplus properties the district put up for sale last month.

According to a proposed contract, Sudha Tokala plans to buy the property.

Tokala, who owns Chill Gelato at 330 S. Greenwich, said Thursday that she’s “not sure yet” what she plans to do with the site but that it would be a prime location for retail development.

“It’s a nice piece of property. … All kinds of things could work there,” including a retail development like the one at 21st and Greenwich, she said.

Jackson Elementary, which opened in 2004, was built as part of a bond issue approved by Wichita voters in 2000. It sits on an expansive piece of property at 29th North and Woodlawn that district leaders once envisioned as a site for a potential K-8 or middle school.

District leaders last month voted to list five vacant school buildings and the land near Jackson as surplus property.

Earlier this month, school board members approved the sale of the former Metro-Meridian Alternative High School to a Wichita couple for $275,000.

The board will convene a special meeting at noon Monday to consider the property sale and some other items.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Wichita district has potential buyer for land near Jackson Elementary."