By Dakota Antelman — Dakota@concordbridge.org
If large-scale residential development at the former MCI-Concord site brings a flood of new families with children to town, it could strain the public schools, Superintendent Laurie Hunter said.
If developers build smaller housing options, she said, the schools might manage the load.
Either way, questions about the prison’s repurposing fit within a larger conversation about development in town and its impact on municipal systems.
“If it’s big buildings of hundreds of apartments, that’s going to be really concerning,” Hunter said of MCI-Concord during an October 24 Finance Committee meeting. “I think if it’s other kinds of housing, it may mitigate the impact.
“There’s no way to know for sure.”
‘The question of the hour’
Four months after the state prison closed, the local MCI Concord Advisory Board continues to gather information to guide zoning decisions at the property.
Hunter faced the FinCom as part of its annual budget guideline process and said school capacity is “the question of the hour.”
She said elementary schools were “a little overcrowded” when she came to Concord in 2017. Eight years later, Hunter said, they are in a better position, with enrollment at Alcott Elementary School dropping from 470 to roughly 400.
Current enrollment at Thoreau Elementary School is also near 400. Willard Elementary School has about 430 students.
“Getting closer to 400 has given us a little bit of breathing space,” Hunter said.
Hunter has estimated Thoreau and Alcott could each absorb 30 to 40 students “without great issue.”
‘We’ve got some room’
There is also some room to spare at the new Ellen Garrison Building at Concord Middle School, where 643 students will start classes early next year. In an email to The Concord Bridge, Hunter said the building can accommodate 700 students.
Concord-Carlisle High School can hold 1,225 students and was under pressure just two years ago when enrollment surged past 1,300.
“[We] really felt how overcrowded that was,” Hunter said. Enrollment dipped to 1,191 as of October 28.
Though schools might accommodate moderate surges in enrollment, Hunter said they could face more pressure if students are concentrated in one grade level. The district could also face a challenge if the number of incoming students suddenly spikes.
“We’ve got some room,” Hunter said.
“Do we have room for hundreds of kids to show up without a problem? No.”
Other potential development
Town Planner Elizabeth Hughes said she eventually expects to see a mix of housing and other uses at MCI-Concord.
Elsewhere, Hunter said school officials have their eyes on other developments.
- The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in April approved plans for the 201-unit Novo Riverside Commons development on Baker Avenue. This month, the board will consider a new special permit application as Boston-based Taurus Investment Holdings seeks to change its parking plan. Taurus CEO Peter Merrigan told The Bridge he expects to break ground in 2025.
- Another developer appealed to the state land court in 2021 after the ZBA denied an earth removal permit for a 36-lot subdivision at 1482 Main Street. Though a trial in the case ended in April, court records showed parties were still awaiting the judge’s decision as of October 28.
- On Forest Ridge Road, a developer is seeking permits to build 237 residential units in a project dubbed “The Residences at Thoreau.”
- Town officials are also considering the future of the 2229 Main Street Superfund site and the soon-to-be-vacant Peabody school.
Wastewater concerns
Gov. Maura Healey and local leaders alike have clamored for affordable housing in Concord.
Novo Riverside Commons is delivering 51 new affordable units. The Residences at Thoreau would include 60 units reserved for households earning no more than 80 percent of Concord’s area median income.
While it will add affordable housing, Novo Riverside is expected to push Concord’s wastewater treatment plant to its limit. The Residences at Thoreau development would have its own wastewater treatment system, according to current plans. But many also worry extra vehicles from new housing would worsen traffic.
Speaking in a September meeting of the MCI-Concord Advisory Board, Concord Public Works Director Alan Cathcart said the town is risking a development moratorium if it doesn’t shore up its wastewater management ability.
