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Developer Gary Gorman has laid one more brick in the foundation of his plan to renovate the Red Brick schoolhouse, a historical landmark in downtown Oregon that has developed into an albatross for the school district since its closing in 1992.

Plans to remodel the school have fallen by the wayside for various reasons over the years, but Gorman's desire to turn the schoolhouse into an office complex for Gorman and Co. Inc. has fallen on receptive ears.

Gorman presented his $2.7 million proposal to a joint meeting of the Oregon Village Board, the Historic Preservation Commission and the Community Development Authority Monday night.

Specializing in historic renovation and urban revitalization projects, Gorman is requesting a $2.2 million tax increment financing district loan from the village to foot the bill for the Red Brick renovations. CDA member John Deits questioned the high TIF portion of Gorman's proposed budget for the reconstruction.

"When I look at this, I see that 80 percent of the cost of the renovation of the building is going to be fronted by the taxpayers of our jurisdiction," Deits said. "I'm having trouble understanding how we are going to be able to afford this in our TIF."

Gorman replied: "This loan would be paid back by a combination of two sources. One is the property taxes that I would pay as a tenant and owner of this building. Second, there would be a collateral pledge of our lease in the building, and that revenue would go to pay off this debt as well. It isn't dollars that the taxpayers would otherwise receive unless you truly believe that someone would buy or renovate this building and use strictly conventional financing."

In an effort to better examine the financial impact of Gorman's proposal, the Village Board voted to engage Ehlers and Associates Inc. to provide financial advice before a development agreement is reached.

Gorman explained in an earlier telephone interview that he has "family-deep" connections with Oregon that go back for decades.

"My dad said he watched my great-uncle Leonard play basketball in the Red Brick gym in the 1930s," Gorman said. A basketball coach for Oregon Youth Sports, Gorman has two children in the Oregon School District and said he is "invested" in the district.

Gorman plans on providing about 15 parking places for visitors and employees in the courtyard behind the building and will develop at his own cost an additional 35 parking spaces somewhere close enough to accommodate the company's staff. In the meantime, employees will park in nearby public parking areas.

Gorman's proposal will be further discussed at April meetings of the Planning Commission, Village Board, Historical Preservation Commission and Community Development Authority before a public hearing to discuss the plan on May 3 at 7 p.m.

The proposal could receive final board approval as early as May 15. Gorman estimates that reconstruction would be completed about seven months after approval is received.

Freely acknowledging that historical rehabilitation projects are more costly than new construction, Gorman explained in the telephone interview why his company would prefer to call the Red Brick home.

"It's what we do for a living," he said, citing the 13 historic redevelopment projects his company has completed. "It would be inconsistent for a firm who works on revitalization projects for a living to be in a new office building in a corn field."