Breckenridge Highest Bidder For Middle School Property

Moments after Breckenridge Land Acquisition/Aspen Heights of Austin, Texas; was declared the highest bidder in an auction of the 48 acre former middle school site, on Friday, neighbors to the site formed a neighborhood association to dispute the sale.

Both Breckenridge Land Acquisition/Aspen Heights and Hunziker & Associates Land Development of Ames, appeared at the sale and offered bids for above $2 million before representatives of Hunziker Land Development said “You Win.”

Breckenridge was declared the winner with a final bid of $2.3 million.

Earlier this year, Breckenridge offered $2.5 million for the land and said it would demolish the former middle school and hoped to build a 900 bedroom development consisting of Craftsman style town homes, houses and duplexes that management would rent by the room on three parcels of middle school property. Other bids came in as well and Breckenridge had offered to pay as much as $2.8 million for the land.

Residents who live near the former middle school site who were present at the auction Friday cried “No.” when they learned Breckenridge had won.

“I'm not very happy,” said Marilyn Clem who lives in the neighborhood. “I'm sure none of us are. If 900 people move into the neighborhood it's not going to be a decent place to live.”

Clem and other residents met after the auction discussing a plan to save their neighborhood.

Clem and about 13 other residents formed a neighborhood association called College Creek-Old Middle School and planned to meet to hold their first official meeting Jan. 10.

Residents were concerned about the density of the plan and how it might impact their quality of life. Clem said she is especially concerned about how drainage would be impacted.

Charlie Vatterott, Aspen Heights vice president of development, said he planned to address the neighborhood's concerns.

Vatterott said that his company has already scaled back the original development density. He brought a new drawing showing 12 single-family lots along Wilmouth Avenue as a buffer between the college student housing development and the residential neighborhood. He planned to share the new design with residents.

Before the sale is final the Ames Community School Board will have to set a date for a public hearing and approve the sale, which will probably take place sometime in January. The property would then close in 45 days.

Breckenridge Land Acquisition would have six months to demolish the former middle school site.

Vatterott said he hoped the college student housing would be available by the fall of 2013.