T&G: Shrewsbury residents balk at proposed apartments on former Beal School site

Isabel Sami | Telegram & Gazette
February 7, 2022

The Telegram & Gazette published the following article on February 7, 2022. View the full article here.

SHREWSBURY — The 104-year lifespan of the Beal School came to an end last year, demoting the property to a vacant building and a public parking lot.

While the school has been closed for months, the sole proposal regarding the future of landmark property has evoked a conflicted reaction from the community.

The Beal Early Childhood Center at 137 Maple Ave. — referred to as the Beal School — closed in June 2021, but the process of its demise began in 2017 when Shrewsbury and its School Department began a feasibility study regarding the school, built in 1917 and deemed at the end of its useful life.

The town determined the school should be shuttered and instead a new school would be built, located at 214 Lake St. Following this decision, the town’s Board of Selectmen formed the Beal Reuse Committee specifically to study how the property should be used after the Beal School closed.

One proposal for mixed-use housing

After issuing the request, the committee received one proposal: A mixed-use housing project by developer Civico/Greenly.

The proposal met the requirements set by the committee and was passed on to the Board of Selectmen that reviewed the proposal.

The project — Beal Commons — would comprise of 65 apartment units, with 12.5% of all units priced as affordable housing, a 0.4-acre public park, 8,000 square feet of retail space, a World War I memorial and 20 public parking spaces.

If the original proposal is accepted and development begins, Civico/Greenly would buy the property from the city for $250,000 as a cash transaction — half the price of a single-family home in Shrewsbury, as one resident later pointed out.

Civico said in its proposal that the cost of the development would be $23 million, an investment Civico would put into the project for labor and materials.

In a presentation at the Beal reuse public hearing Dec. 7, Shrewsbury Assistant Town Manager Kristen Las said the mixed-use development was slated to generate an annual $150,000 to $200,000 in tax revenue.

Board of Selectmen Chair John Samia said the vision for the evolving Town Center District — part of Shrewsbury including Town Hall, Beal School and shops and restaurants along the town’s Main Street — will entail a balance of commercial, retail, residential and green spaces. The Beal Commons fit that vision.

“We wouldn’t have brought a project forward if we didn’t think it would have a significant positive impact on the town,” Samia said. “We’re looking at this proposal in light of the town’s best interest because we believe it met what we were looking to do in our master plan as part of the Beal Reuse Committee and as part of the overall economic planning and development to the town center.”

The board and developers heard the town’s concerns at an in-person public hearing held Dec. 7, then held another meeting remotely Jan. 25 to discuss the project. At the second meeting, the Board of Selectmen authorized the town manager to begin negotiations with Civico/Greenly on a land disposition agreement, furthering the sale of the property.

“It’s in Civico/Greenly’s and the town manager’s court to do those negotiations based upon the parameters that the board of selectmen gave (Jan. 25),” Las said.

Residents speak out

Residents voiced concerns indeed and didn’t hold back.

More than 15 residents took to the podium at the hearing, raising questions about parking, traffic, density, preserving walkability and the legacy of the property.

The space occupied by the Beal School feeds into a wide grassy open space enjoyed by kids and families where organized sports take place and people can casually sit or walk.

Each resident who spoke at the hearing had a personal tie to the property or a reason they were defending the open space. Some stated they were concerned about the “ambitious number of units with parking” while others reminded the board that the property was a “valuable part of the neighborhood.”

One resident who spoke at length in opposition of the apartments was Paul Zekos, who said he attended the Beal School when he was young.

“Sixty-five units is not going to increase revenue streams of local businesses because there’s already thousands of people who can walk to those local businesses,” he said, evoking applause from fellow residents in the crowd.

“I think we’ve got hundreds of rental units going on, and that’s a tremendous economic base for the town as well, and they’re scattered all over the community. I think the 65 units is something at least in my neighborhood that people are concerned about,” Zekos continued. “I think we really need to look at this as a legacy project because that’s what it’s going to be, for all of you as well,” he said motioning to the board.

Julie Ross, a resident who said she has lived on Haskell Street since 1984, spoke about the need to expand the existing open space.

“I live in the center of town — we expect change. We expect hustle and bustle. I like the ability to walk around and do all the stuff I do now,” Ross said. “I really hope you respect some of the concerns we have as being legitimate: The water runoff, the traffic that’s going to be brought to us, taking away that organic open space that we’ve been enjoying for literally 40 years. People are in that field all the time. As soon as organized sports leave, everybody in the neighborhood comes. Please don’t take that away from us.”

Samia said the board wants to assure residents that it heard them.

The board gave new parameters to Town Manager Kevin Mizikar as he moves forward with negotiations on a land disposition agreement with Civico/Greenly, involving an increase in open space and public parking, and a decrease in the number of apartments.

“We have heard residents. As soon as we had something tangible we brought it forward to residents for them to give their opinion on it,” Samia said. “We wanted to hear from town residents and neighbors to hear what they felt. We think it’s a project the town should be proud of, and there’s still a lot of economics to be ironed out based on what we heard from town residents.”

Despite residents’ unabashed qualms about the development, it’s unclear whether the town and Civico will decrease the size of the project in its negotiations.

T&G: Shrewsbury residents balk at proposed apartments on former Beal School site