The Waxahachie City Council voted its unanimous approval Monday, Aug. 1, for an event center that will see the repurposing of the old school building at 716 Dunaway St.
As proposed by Brad Yates of Loren Gray Investments LLC, the site plan had previously received approval from the city’s planning and zoning commission, which had placed additional conditions for a sidewalk along Avenue C, installation of trees and landscaping, and an evergreen shrubbery screening for the refuse wall. It was also stipulated that a second story being added to the structure will only be used for storage.
Speaking to the council, Yates said the second story was needed so as not to add to the 4,700-square foot building’s footprint.
“I elected to go up,” he said, noting the ground floor is either open space, kitchen or restroom areas. The 1,200-square foot second floor will house the building’s mechanical room, janitorial room and storage space.
Any other use besides storage for the 1,200-square foot second floor would require Yates to return to the P&Z and council for approval.
The historic building was originally South Ward School and was listed as a “Most Endangered” site by Historic Waxahachie Inc. in 2019.
According to HWI, the school was built circa 1912 and continued that use until around 1964, with the building then seeing use as an activity center and storage facility while going through several sales.
Appraisal district records indicate Waxahachie ISD sold the property in 2003, with it changing hands again in 2015. Yates acquired the property in January 2021.
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