27. 02 Disposition of Real Property

Rochester Community Schools is soliciting proposals for the purchase and disposition of real property located at 501 W. University Drive, Rochester, Michigan, with proposals due August 31, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. local time through BidNet Direct. Interested parties must confirm intent to submit by July 31, 2026. The property consists of approximately 4.34 acres zoned 401 Residential, improved with a three-story administration building containing approximately 89,716 square feet of gross building area, originally constructed in 1889 and last renovated in 1988. The building is listed in the State Register of Historic Places and may qualify for Michigan historic preservation tax credits and federal historic tax credits.

The property is offered in "as-is, where-is" condition without representations or warranties regarding physical, structural, environmental, zoning, or legal condition. Purchasers are responsible for all due diligence investigations, including Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, and must assume all environmental liabilities as a "person responsible" party after closing and indemnify the school district from any post-closing environmental claims. The purchase price must meet fair market value minimum bid requirements determined by Rochester Community Schools and be paid in full by confirmed wire transfer at closing. A 2% earnest money deposit is required upon execution of the purchase agreement. Purchasers must provide proof of financing or financial capacity to complete the purchase and any proposed redevelopment.

Evaluation criteria include the financial strength and proposed purchase price of the proposer, community benefit and intended use, quality and feasibility of the business plan, development approach including site plan and timeline, and the experience and qualifications of the proposer and development team. Questions are due August 17, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. local time. Finalists are anticipated to be selected in September 2026 with school board approval anticipated in October 2026. The building has been essentially vacant since August 2022 and was identified as surplus to district needs. An earlier 2022 RFP resulted in seven offers ranging from $0 to $2.1 million, all of which were declined.