METAIRIE, La. — Haynes Academy for Advanced Studies used to sit on Metairie Road.
In April, the Jefferson Parish School Board voted to consolidate schools due to low enrollment. Haynes was one of two schools that was moved.
This fall, Haynes students will take over the former Grace King campus.
In the meantime, the school board plans to demolish the former Haynes building and sell the roughly eight acres of land.
According to JP School Board Member Clay Moise, they've received a 'tremendous' amount of interest in the property.
Neighbors who live near the former school are speaking out against commercial development.
Muffin Balart said she's lived in her home off of Metairie Road for 70 years “We have concerns as a neighborhood about what’s going to happen to the area that impacts us. We have drainage concerns, we have traffic concerns," Balart said.
Balart is beginning to host meetings to solicit the opinions of her neighbors. She said the neighborhood is starting a petition for the property to remain residential.
“For Muffin Balart, the ideal world is it becomes a green space," Balart said.
Jennifer Van Vrancken currently represents Metairie on the Jefferson Parish Council.
“My personal opinion is that it should remain residential. That is what that area is zoned now and what it’s most suited for," Van Vrancken said.
Van Vrancken stressed that it's a political year, and she's sticking to the facts. As of right now, no one has bought the property or requested a zoning change, Van Vrancken said.
Moise said the JP School Board did not have a timeline for demolition or the sale of the property. He hopes they do it as soon as possible so they can re-invest the money into classrooms.
Councilman Ricky Templet said a study should be done for all of the former JP school properties to get ahead of whatever proposals and requests are to come.
“If we do a study now to determine what the community wants and then when a developer tries to purchase the property, they know what they’re buying," Templet said.
Templet will be running against Van Vrancken for the Council At-Large Division A seat this fall. Templet also said he would vote 'with the people' and wouldn't be in favor of commercial development for the Metairie Road property.