Two middle schools slated for the West Village

75 Morton Street
75 Morton Street

Two new public middle schools will likely be built in the West Village, according to a statement from the New York School Construction Authority, DNAinfo reported.

In order to reduce the burden on area schools, city officials are considering a 900-student facility within a seven-story, 177,000-square-foot building at 75 Morton Street, which is currently owned by the state and is used for the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

“The real need is going to be middle school seats, over time,” said SCA President Lorraine Grillo at a planning meeting Thursday. She added that officials would have to finalize their decision by June so that the SCA could begin the contractor bidding process.

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Community board members discussed options for the schools, including an elementary school and middle school with 600 to 700 seats, one large middle school with 700 to 900 seats, and a school with a pre-kindergarten capacity of 100 and a high school and middle school capacity of 800. Members expressed the hope that the school would be ready for the fall 2015 term.

The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities was expected to vacate in April 2013, but plans have been pushed back as their new Lower Manhattan location was impacted by Hurricane Sandy, officials said. Grillo added that she was “cautiously optimistic” about the timeline for the school project. [DNAinfo] —Hiten Samtani