Wednesday, May 5, 2024–9:35 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The Cave Spring City Council is reviewing a proposal for the former Cave Spring Elementary School property, including a commercial and residential mix.
The proposal from Southern Schoolhouse Revival, LLC includes 7,000 square feet for a medical office building, 8,200 square feet of retail, 18,000 square feet of office or flex space, 19,000 square feet of retail, and 7,500 square feet for event space. The plan also has seven acres set aside for a potential mix of townhomes and single-family residences.
The company has experience in the area of converting old schools, having purchased the abandoned Ball Ground Elementary School in Cherokee County, Ga., converting it to mixed-use officer space.
“That’s a 31,000-square-foot facility, and they are currently operating there,” said Cave Spring City Manager Nick McLemore. “I will be about an hour away from there on Thursday, so I intend to go by that facility, take some pictures, and see what it looks like.”
The Cave Spring Elementary School building sits on 16 acres on Rome Road. The school closed at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, and the city subsequently purchased the building and grounds for $40,000. Since that time, there have been multiple discussions regarding the future of the property.
The proposal from Southern Schoolhouse Revival promises to preserve the property while making it a relevant piece of the future for Cave Spring.
“We have been involved in projects which have required great care to renovate, remodel, and reuse historic structures across the State of Georgia,” the proposal read. “Many of our projects have involved properties that predate the structure of this project by decades or more. Although there is a time to ‘scrape and build,’ we do not believe this is one of them.”
McLemore told the city council Tuesday that it originally appeared there would be three proposals submitted for the property. One was for an 80-plus home development that was withdrawn. A second proposal for a 62-home development was also withdrawn.
“Because of the cost of the demolition of the building, they would exceed the cost for those size homes in our community,” McLemore said.
The council will now take time to review the proposal from Schoolhouse Revival and discuss it, possibly as soon as their next meeting.