Covington city officials are working on developing a more detailed downtown plan this year and part of the planning includes what will happen to the site Covington Elementary currently sits on.

At its March 25 meeting the Kent School Board decided to delay building a new Covington Elementary on a site in another part of town for at least a year.

Kent School District officials have been trying to find funding to build a new school to replace Covington Elementary for years as it is one of the oldest buildings in the district and hasn’t been renovated since the 1980s.

It would cost $27 million to build a new school according to current estimates for construction.

Covington city manager Derek Matheson said that the delay to build a new school doesn’t have an impact on the city’s downtown plans.

The Covington City Council wants to see the school property developed in conjunction with a neighboring parcel owned by Renton-based Ashton Capital — the two combined would total 37 acres — into a mixed-use commercial development. Last fall Target expressed interest in building on Ashton’s property.

“The board’s decision to delay the new school’s opening from September 2010 to September 2011 doesn’t affect our downtown planning efforts because our updated downtown plan should be done by the end of 2009, nine months before the original opening date,” Matheson said in an e-mail. “It does, however, affect when someone can redevelop the old school site in accordance with the updated downtown plan.”

Matheson added that the new school will bring many benefits to the community in general as well as members of the Covington Elementary community.

“The city really appreciates the board’s efforts to try to build a new school, not only because the city wants to see economic development on the old school site, but because a brand new school that’s closer to the students it serves will be a great amenity for the entire community,” Matheson said.

Waiting until next year means the district has more time to sell the property it needs to bank funds for Covington Elementary, as well as making it more likely the state produces matching construction funds, plus keep bonds off of next year’s maintenance and operations levy vote, Fred High who serves as district superintendent for business services said was the district’s top priority.

Delaying only a year also means that most of the $1.8 million approved by voters in 2006 for work on the current school could still be applied to the new building.

Kent Reporter staff writer Brian Beckley contributed to this report.