District 211 wants public input on 60-acre Schaumburg site

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 officials are posting an online questionnaire on their website soliciting public input on the future use of an undeveloped 60 acres in Schaumburg originally acquired for a sixth high school that was never built.

The questionnaire at adc.d211.org marks the first step in a three-year process to conceive and implement a plan for the land between Summit Drive and Plum Grove Road.

In a letter to the community, Superintendent Dan Cates explains the history of District 211's ownership of the property and the intent of the questionnaire.

A final decision on the use of the property lies with the district's board of education.

For at least the past 20 years, the village of Schaumburg's comprehensive land-use plan has designated residential development as the most likely use of the land, which sits near existing subdivisions south of Weathersfield Way and north of Wise Road.

There has been no formal proposal for the site since the 1974 approval of a high school, which was never acted upon.

District 211's new strategic plan acknowledges it could sell part or all of the land, school officials first want to consider whether they might have a use for the site.

Although another high school seems unlikely, last year District 211 paid $1.51 million for a 26,000-square-foot former medical office building next to Hoffman Estates High School to house most of the district's special education programs under one roof.

Under the district's time frame, officials intend to identify all potential options for the 60-acre site within the next 12 months.

After that, the school district should have a timeline in place and an estimate of each option's costs.

A final decision should be made and implemented by the end of the third year.