The Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association dreams of building a commercial center - a downtown for Delridge - on the Louisa Boren Junior High School site.

First the Delridge Association must persuade the Seattle School District to sell it the property.

The group has hired Ron Sher and his real estate development company, Metrovation, to create a conceptual plan for residential and retail to replace Boren. Since January, the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association has made presentations at neighborhood meetings, drumming up support.

Beginning in 1996, the non-profit organization has built nearly 200 units of mixed-use, affordable housing in the Delridge area, including: Vivian McLean Place, above the Delridge Library; the Community Resource Center, housing the West Seattle Food Bank; and Croft Place, townhouses for families who are low income or homeless.

The non-profit bought the old Cooper School, converting a boarded-up brick building into the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, which includes live-in studios for low-income artists.

"The school district is proud of the project at the Cooper School," said Derek Birnie, executive director of the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association. "We would love to continue that at Boren."

The working title is Delridge Commons.

The Delridge association would own the residential half, building affordable housing alongside units sold at market rate.

A site plan, drawn by Mithun Architects, shows single-family houses meshed with existing homes to the south. Condominiums and apartments sit above retail spaces. Townhouses transition between the two.

Sher and Metrovation would own the retail half.

Sher is known for commercial development that encourages community. Metrovation redeveloped Crossroads in Bellevue. Sher saved the dying mall by adding two bookstores, seating, trees, sculptures and even a giant chess set - encouraging locals to gather and linger in the shared space within the mall. Sher is likewise credited with reviving Town Centre in Lake Forest Park, creating a commons there in a new Third Place Books.

The plan for Delridge Commons includes a movie theater, spaces for retail shops and restaurants and a grocery store.

"When we ask people what they want, a grocery store is always first or second on their lists," said Birnie.

Sher has talked with Uwajimaya, an Asian specialty supermarket, and other chains, looking for a smaller version of a big store to fit the scale of the neighborhood.

The plan includes parking is softened by trees. A stream flows through the site, paralleling Longfellow Creek. A footpath meets stairs coming from Puget Ridge, meandering between shops, crossing Delridge Way, and connecting with High Point.

Anchoring the north end is Sher's trademark Third Place Books.

"The development could do all that without tearing down any existing housing or destroying any open space," said Paul Fischburg, the previous executive director of the Delridge association. Fischburg hired Sher.

The North Delridge Neighborhood Council and the larger Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, both endorse the plan.

Last May, a city of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods newsletter announced the association's plans to build 75,000-to-80,000 square feet of retail and 400-plus units of housing at Boren.

But, nothing is definite.

"The plan is still in the vision phase," Birnie said. "Broad sketches, now, is all."

Since 1987, the Seattle School District has used Louisa Boren Junior High as an interim site. In turn, it housed High Point Elementary, Cooper Elementary, West Seattle High and Madison Middle, while each of its buildings was renovated. Cleveland students recently finished two years there.

Next is Sealth. Ground breaking for the high school - and new buildings for Denny Middle - will start next summer. High school students will move to Boren in September 2008. Middle school students will stay in Denny, moving directly to new buildings after they're completed. Construction could last one or two years.

After Sealth is renovated, the school district has no specific plans for Boren.

Neighbors are tired of the buildings being used as an interim site.

Mike Dady, co-chair of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council, said he met with the principal of Cleveland last year, trying to enlist students to clean up around the school, giving them some ownership of the neighborhood. He failed.

Three neglected houses, since demolished, sat vacant across Delridge Way from the school, attracting students, litter, junk, trespassers and drugs.

"Boren, as an interim site, has been a nightmare," said Dady. "No matter what school they're from, the students don't want to be there. It's not their school."

This year, Boren sits empty, used for storage.

Birnie plans to meet with the Seattle School Board after four new members are elected Nov. 6.

Maria Ramirez and Steve Sundquist are vying for the School Board's District 6 position, which represents West Seattle and South Park.

"There's definitely a need for mixed use [in Delridge]," said Ramirez. "It would be nice to see affordable housing for teachers to be able to live in the city."

Though, she cautioned against selling the property entirely.

"More density means more children," said Ramirez. "It's important to know if we can keep some of the property to build a school in 30, 40, 50 years, if needed."

"It's a nice dream, but..." said Ron Angeles, West Seattle's neighborhood district coordinator. The site isn't for sale, he said. "Unless you have certain control over certain things, the dream might take a while."

The school district will probably want to hold onto Boren. According to Eleanor Trainor, capital projects community liaison for the district.

"The building is in great shape," said Trainor. "It has served well as an interim site. I imagine it will be retained for several, if not many, years."

For 2007, the King County tax assessor values the 13.85-acre site at $5,428,200, up 80 percent from one year ago. Buildings on the property are valued at $4,464,000.

The school district has begun revising its master facilities plan, gathering feedback from residents and reconsidering use of its buildings.

The School Board votes on the facilities plan this spring and the new plan goes into effect in 2010.

"Redevelopment is what the neighborhood people want," said Phillipa Nye, project manager at the Delridge Association. "We're hoping [Boren] will become our 'downtown.'"

Matthew Miller may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com