DUNDEE, Ore. — The former Dundee Elementary School property officially has a new owner.
On Nov. 18, the Newberg-Dundee School District board voted to sell the district-owned property at 140 S.W. Fifth St. in Dundee to Cascadia Development Partners for $4.25 million. The offer includes a $200,000 down payment and a 12-month closing timeline.
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The district had previously explored sale options for the surplus property, reviewed market conditions, completed due diligence and consulted legal counsel.
Dave Parker, superintendent of Newberg-Dundee Public Schools, said that when the district was evaluating long-term planning for the facility, selling the property was the most practical outcome.
“They calculated what it costs to build a new school versus remodel an old one. I’m sure from that process, they learned that it was going to be more efficient to build a new school,” Parker said. “There was a new piece of property purchased, and then the loan was set so that after this new school came online, we would sell the old building to pay off that loan.”
Funds from the sale will go toward paying off the loan on the new school property.
The new school, located half a mile away at 800 S.E. Eighth St., was built for $28 million as part of a $141 million construction bond passed in November 2020. It was completed in August 2024. The location makes it easier for students to walk and bike to class safely and offers protection from flooding.
“It’s bigger, it’s better, it’s beautiful,” Parker said. “The school is well-designed.”
The former school was a 48,700-square-foot building constructed in 1953, when Highway 99 was a small country road rather than a busy highway. Its heating and cooling systems were at the end of their lifespans, and it was not designed for modern educational models that use flexible and extended learning areas for independent study and private instruction. Remodeling would have been difficult due to narrow hallways.
The gym was even older — built in 1937 as part of a high school — and the showers were rusted. The last addition to the building was in 1994, 30 years ago.
“This is a building designed for a different time and a different educational model,” Bond Manager Larry Hampton said in a district release. “There are no flexible or extended learning areas for independent study or private instruction. It would be difficult to remodel the space to make it more conducive to current teaching practices because of the narrow hallways. The location right on Highway 99 is also a factor. For much of the school’s existence, 99 was a small country road. Now it is a busy highway that is dangerous to cross. It is also a source of exhaust fumes that can get sucked into air intakes.”
According to its website, Cascadia Development Partners is a full-service real estate development company founded in 2014. Its team has collectively developed more than 10 million square feet of commercial projects in the Pacific Northwest.
The company is responsible for mixed-use and mid-rise communities such as The Palisades in Vancouver, Washington, The Livingston in Camas, Washington, and the New Seasons Market in downtown Vancouver. Its developments range from retail, office, hotel, multi-family and mixed-use properties to medical, daycare and education facilities.
Neither Cascadia Development Partners nor the City of Dundee responded to requests for comment.
