Fate of Simone's No. 6 Bid to be Decided Today

School District 15 residents will have the chance today to vote on whether to sell the Number Six School property to Simone Development Companies, which plans to build a 60-doctor medical facility at the former school site.

The referendum — paid for by Simone — if approved, will allow the Lawrence School District to sell the 6.67 acres of land with the about 80,170 square-foot building to the developer for $12.5 million. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Atlantic Beach Village Hall, Number Two School, Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School.

Bronx-based Simone says it will fix up and modernize the Number Six School building for its proposed 60-doctor medical facility, which will include an urgent care center and employ 100 additional people. Its plan call for paving over the ball fields to make way for a 450-spot parking lot, along with putting up fencing around the facility. The developer will also move and expand the current playground.

If voters approve the plan and Simone is granted variances from the Town of Hempstead, the district will get an immediate payment of $12.5 million, which could help ease future school budget deficits. An attorney for Simone also said the facility would be the third largest taxpayer in the district and provide $700,000 annually for its coffers — or about $100 per family.

Since Simone announced its proposal, a group called the Five Towns Community Coalition formed to oppose the project. Its members argue that the medical facility will create an overabundance of traffic on the roads surrounding the former school and replace the ball fields with a large parking lot. They also worry that since none of the details of the proposal are in Simone’s contract with the district, anything about the proposal is open to change. They also disagree with the estimated tax benefits, arguing it amounts to about $35 per family.

In an unprecedented occurrence for the Five Towns, passionate supporters and opponents voiced their opinions online on Patch. Over the course of weeks, more than 1,000 comments were posted on multiple stories.

In the case voters turn down the referendum, the bidding process for Number Six School starts anew. The board would once again choose a new buyer for the land, and voters will then decide if the district should sell the land to that bidder.

Patch will report on the outcome of the referendum as soon as results come in. To be up to date on this and future issues, be sure to sign up for our newsletter.

Here is Five Towns Patch’s previous reporting on Simone’s bid for Number Six School: