Plans for converting the historic Wormley School on Prospect Street into high-end condominiums moved one step closer to realization last Tuesday when the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment approved a plan by the development company Prospect Associates.

ANC Administrator Bonnie Hardy said that Prospect Associates took many steps to win approval for their plans.

“They were instrumental in reaching an agreement with the neighbors,” she said of the company.

Georgetown residents voiced initial concerns about the potential overuse of the property and possible parking and landscaping problems that could arise with the creation of more housing.

Prospect Associates, which is working with Encore Development Corporation during the renovation process, must still get approval from the Old Georgetown Board, a committee of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts that is designated to maintaining the historical significance of Georgetown.

Brett Clements (COL ’07), the sole student ANC representative, said that the Wormley School is a “registered historical landmark,” meaning no exterior renovations can be made under current zoning regulations.

Clements also noted the deteriorating condition of Wormley, which opened in 1885.

The school has been closed for over 10 years, during which it has passed from the hands of different owners, including Georgetown, which initially had plans to convert it into an administrative building.

“It wasn’t cost effective for the school to turn it into anything else,” Clements said.

The university sold the building for nearly $8.3 million in June 2005.