The City of Roswell has entered into a contract with the Fulton County School District (FCS) to purchase the former Crabapple Middle School property at 10700 Crabapple Road in Roswell for $6.5 million. The site is just over 20 acres, already zoned for civic use, and directly borders Roswell Area Park, making it ideal for future expansion of the City’s park and recreation programming.
The Fulton County Board of Education approved the sale at its February 13 meeting. Roswell City Council unanimously approved the purchase at the Mayor and City Council meeting on Monday, February 26.
Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson says the purchase of this property aligns with Roswell’s promise to create transformative public spaces and make tangible investments with taxpayer money. The purchase will be paid with bond funds that were overwhelmingly approved by voters in November 2022.
“We promised Roswell voters that we would use bond monies to invest in park acquisition, and that’s exactly what we are doing,” said Mayor Wilson. “With the purchase of this great property, Mayor and Council are moving forward with major initiatives that are going to vastly improve the City of Roswell and the quality of life for our residents.“
We promised Roswell voters that we would use bond monies to invest in park acquisition, and that’s exactly what we are doing.
Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson
The grounds and building served as the site of Crabapple Middle School until FCS opened the new middle school in 2021. Since that time, FCS has used it as an administrative center. “In August of 2021, we opened a wonderful new facility for Crabapple Middle School. We are now pleased for the City to create a new purpose for the property and old building where the school had existed for many years,” Said District 1 School Board Member Katha Stuart who represents the area.
“The Board of Education appreciates our partnership with the City of Roswell,” said Board of Education President Kimberly Dove. “Through a cooperative approach we have come up with a plan to utilize one of our older facilities, with the possibility of a second location, for the benefit of the community.”
Dove refers to the fact that FCS’s agreement with Roswell gives the City the first right of refusal if the School District were to decide to sell the property currently housing Independence High School and the Teaching Museum North (791 Mimosa Blvd.) over the next three years.
Roswell has been evaluating parcels of property across the City ever since voters overwhelmingly approved $179.6 million in bonds in November 2022. City leaders will decide how the acquired property can best be utilized and will share future concept plans with the public as they become available.
The final purchase and closing on the property will be subject to the standard due diligence review, including a survey of the property, environmental review, and a complete title search. The City anticipates closing on the property shortly after Council approval on Feb. 26. The contract with Fulton County Schools includes a six-month occupancy clause that provides time for FCS to transition and move the administrative services that have been operating out of the site.
More Information
To learn more about the City of Roswell’s Bond Program, visit www.RoswellGov.com/Bond.