A project to turn a former elementary school in Harbor Country into a new apartment complex is now complete.
In 2024, the River Valley School District approved the sale of the former Chikaming Elementary School to developer Robert Buono for the conversion. Buono, the owner of Granor Farm in Three Oaks, tells us over the years at his farm, he’s seen the lack of housing in the area affect employees and others and wanted to do something about it.
“We’ve had some over the years,” Buono said. “Some of our team members have definitely had some challenges over time. They tend to find places to live, but sometimes it’s quite difficult. I think that’s probably not uncommon among businesses in the area.”
So, when the elementary school closed, Buono sought to purchase it. Work just wrapped up on 3 Harbert Residences, a 17-unit complex built out of the school. We asked Buono if turning a school building into apartments presented major challenges.
“In some respects, it’s actually quite straightforward in that the existing classrooms and the way in which the building was originally constructed serve as at least an initial guide for where you might place each unit.”
Buono says they had to eliminate the central corridor in the building in order to make the units larger and meet zoning rules. However, they did preserve the gym, which he says still has the same colors, banners, and even clocks.
“The gymnasium is one of the more interesting aspects of the building. It’s well built. We have done little to change it because, frankly, it was in great condition. It’s got an appealing architecture.”
The developers added space for pickleball in the gym, which can now be used by residents. However, the cafeteria and kitchen area were turned into apartment units.
Buono says they also incorporated the property outside the building.
“We’ve basically allowed the grass beyond the building to grow, and we’ve mowed in some paths for walking. We also preserved the outdoor basketball court, which is also now an outdoor pickleball court.”
River Valley School District Superintendent Dave Campbell told us in 2024 that the district board of education approved the sale of the school building to Buono in order to help create more attainable housing. He said the district would often hear from prospective staff that they couldn’t find a place to live in southern Berrien County as apartments are scarce and expensive.
All in all, Buono is pleased with how the new development turned out.
“I think the way in which we were able to embrace the openings to create large views onto the property has worked well. And while we’ve preserved the building, we have successfully transformed it from an institutional building, a school, to one that very much feels residential.”
3 Harbert Residences includes nine one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units. It just opened last week and already has some residents. Buono also notes he’s about a month away from completing another school-to-apartment conversion, at the former Three Oaks Elementary School.
