The Livonia (Mich.) district is selling two properties that once housed elementary schools to a residential developer.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the Livonia school board has authorized the superintendent to sell the sites that formerly housed Old Webster Elementary and Wilson Elementary.

Infinity Homes & Co. plans to build houses on the sites.

The district will receive $600,000 for the Wilson property, which encompasses about 8.74 acres, and $1.11 million for the Old Webster space, which is about 9.34 acres.

Both properties have long been vacant. Wilson closed in 1978, and Old Webster closed in 2008 after a fire.

Phil Francis, Livonia's director of operations, says the district held onto the two properties  in case it ever needed to open additional schools. Now, the board feels comfortable selling the two properties.

"You wouldn't want, as a board, to be selling off everything immediately and then turn around six years later and have some type of boom and go, 'Wow, we need space,'" he explained.