Englewood Town Hall To Discuss Liberty School Redevelopment

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — There is a Town Hall meeting Monday evening to discuss the redevelopment of the Russell C. Major Liberty School site.

The town hall meeting will be held virtually at 6 p.m.

Public comments may be submitted by 3:00 P.M. on the date of the meeting either through a written letter or email to meeting@cityofenglewood.org. All comments will be read on the public forum portion of the meeting.

Located on the western side of downtown, the site of the former school currently houses the Department of Recreation and YWCA programs.

The redevelopment project is part of the city’s comprehensive strategy for the revitalization and redevelopment of the city's downtown, according to the redevelopment request for proposal.

"However, as noted in the City’s Master Plan, the future redevelopment and re-use of the site should respect and complement the character, form, density, and composition of the adjacent neighborhood and downtown," the document reads.

The city purchased the Liberty School Site for $11,500,000 in 2003.

There has been little consensus within the community on what should happen to Liberty School, with ideas ranging from turning it into a new public or charter school to converting it into a community center.

"With regard to the future land use of the Liberty School Site, please note that while the City of Englewood is open to the suggestions of qualified redevelopers, it will view favorably proposals that include a community center," the request for proposal said.

A copy of the Liberty School request for proposal is available here.