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GREENSBORO — Redevelopment officials unveiled a $60 million proposal Wednesday that would consolidate Guilford County Schools' administrative offices into one building in southeast Greensboro.

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro proposes the new building be built on 4.5 acres on South Elm Street near the Lee Street intersection.

The foundation's proposal includes:

• an estimated 60 to 70 residential units for mixed-income households

• retail space

• a parking deck for an estimated 550 vehicles

• a street-level community park atop the parking deck, which would be nestled within a hillside at the site.

The proposed project would revitalize an area that has been beset by problems including crime, drugs and underperforming real estate.

Community Foundation President Walker Sanders said the project could have a historic impact.

"This project will provide a wide range of benefits to as many people as possible and serve as a catalyst to the redevelopment plans of the connecting neighborhoods," Sanders said in a news release.

The Greensboro Redevelopment Commission owns the property. The commission is tasked by the City Council to find new purposes for blighted areas of the city.

School board Chairman Alan Duncan declined to comment specifically on the proposal. He said a consolidated administrative office would likely produce more efficient services and be a convenience to the public, but funding for such a project would be hard to come by.

"I think the board would say from a financial feasibility standpoint it would be very difficult," he said. The county has fallen well behind in building new schools, Duncan said, and students must come first.

According to the foundation, the estimated $60 million price for the project would be covered because the property is publicly held, and the property Guilford County Schools currently owns downtown could be redeveloped.

The foundation also says the project would generate enough tax revenue to see a net increase and cover construction costs.

According to the foundation, members of its subsidiary, Gate City Co., met with members of the school board, the City Council and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

These officials offered feedback and agreed to move forward with the creation of a task force to guide the project and ensure it benefits all of its stakeholders, according to the news release.

The project has at least one supporter on those governing boards.

"There are a lot of potential benefits in a project like this, and several of the board members are enthusiastic about it," said Commissioner Kirk Perkins.

"But it's really just a concept right now, and people still want some more information about it."

Perkins said commissioners first heard about the project in bits and pieces about eight months ago.

Aside from the benefit to the school system, Perkins said, the project would be a major contributor to downtown Greensboro.

"That's just part of it. They're also talking about businesses there, and some housing and an aboveground park. It could really do a lot for that part of downtown."

The foundation proposal calls for an approximately 200,000-square-foot office building with room for about 500 school staff, a board room and conference room.

The concept calls for a building that would be environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Although the area isn't within the defined boundaries of downtown, it would provide a major boost to the center city, which runs as far south as Lee Street.

"It is literally across the street," said Ed Wolverton, president and CEO of Downtown Greensboro Inc. "In the minds of many, it already is in downtown."

Wolverton said the project and its employees and residents would affect the businesses in the 500 and 600 blocks of South Elm Street and in the Southside area.

The proposed site has been in the city's crosshairs for redevelopment for several years.

Five years ago, the city launched an $11 million redevelopment project on 10 acres south of Lee Street.

The plan called for residential, commercial and office space.

Earlier this year, the city began to demolish rundown businesses and homes in the area. A planned Environmental Protection Agency-funded cleanup of petroleum-based products on the site will pave the way for future redevelopment. The city still needs to do some environmental cleanup on the site.

The redevelopment commission will start requesting proposals for projects on the property late this year or in early 2009.

It would be within the purview of the redevelopment commission to consider sales or trades for the land.

School board Chairman Duncan would not say whether he intends to call a special meeting in the near future to discuss the Community Foundation's proposal.

Staff writers Dick Barron, Amanda Lehmert, Jeff Mills and Donald W. Patterson contributed to this report.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com