New proposal pitched to rebuild Bellaire HS on Chevron property — eventually

By Charlotte Aguilar
The sluggish project to rebuild Bellaire High School has new life with a proposal to reconstruct the cramped 17-acre campus two miles north on Rice Avenue, on the 28-acre Chevron property at 4800 Fournace Place. But even if a number of hurdles are cleared successfully, the process is likely to take years.
After three years of efforts to come up with a construction plan that would meet Bellaire’s strict city zoning ordinances and satisfy concerns about where Bellaire’s 3,500-plus students would go during construction, Houston ISD’s bond program officials pitched the Chevron idea to the school’s Project Advisory Team at a meeting Monday afternoon.
According to officials, the focus would be on using a “majority” of the $136 million budgeted for the project to acquire the Chevron property, which the company announced in July that it would be selling and vacating by the end of 2017. Cushman Wakefield is marketing the land, which includes a modern 10-story office building. The Harris County Appraisal District assesses the property at $46.5 million, but its market value is believed to be much higher. The asking price was not immediately available, but the property will go on the open market Oct. 1, according to officials.
HISD District V Trustee Mike Lunceford told Instant News that he is looking to bring up the proposal to fellow trustees at their October meeting and hopes that they “see the long term benefit to the district.”
“Bellaire HS, while one of the largest high schools in HISD, is on the smallest property,” Lunceford said. “The chance to find 30 contiguous acres in the Bellaire attendance zone does not happen very often. This would solve numerous problems such as parking and field space at the present site.”
Additionally, the Shell service station and car wash adjacent to the property at 5910 West Loop South is on the market through Cushman Wakefield. Its taxable value through HCAD is $3.4 million.
In an email message to stakeholders, Bellaire Principal Michael McDonough called the HISD presentation “the most promising and exciting news so far about the Bellaire project.”
He outlined the rest of the process, if board and administration support is pledged and the Chevron property is acquired, as:
•Securing funds to renovate the current Bellaire campus at 5100 Maple until the new campus could be constructed;
•”Likely” adding the Bellaire project to another bond election, which has been discussed but not set, to continue the district’s 2012 $2 billion bond program.
•Working with the city of Bellaire on any zoning or permitting required. (The property is in a Technical Research Park District, which the city has been adjusting, but which does allow schools.)
Despite the complexity, McDonough said, “I believe it has the best chance to work for our students, faculty, staff and community.”
The current campus was built in 1955 in the middle of a residential neighborhood. While Bellaire HS has brought recognition to the city through its academic excellence and athletic prowess, residents in the area have complained for decades about parking problems and other issues involving student behavior in the neighborhood.