The public will have its first chance to weigh in on possible future uses of the Stephen Palmer property at a public hearing Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at Powers Hall.
The former elementary school was converted to a 28-unit apartment building for seniors in 1977 under a ground lease agreement between the town and Crowninshield/Stephen Palmer Associates. That lease is set to expire in May 2027 at which time control of the building returns to the town.
The hearing is being held by the seven-member Stephen Palmer Development Review Committee, which is charged with recommending three scenarios to the Select Board for the 1.5-acre property at the corner of Pickering and May streets.
The town has engaged two consulting firms, Barrett Planning Group and Gamble Associates, who are working in concert to support the ad hoc committee. At the outset of the hearing, the firms will offer a project overview and a presentation on existing conditions at the site.
This will include a structural and architectural analysis of the 111-year-old building as well as reports on legal, land use, environmental and historic preservation considerations specific to the site.
After the presentation, the meeting will be opened to public participation. This will include both open comment and breakout sessions with multiple small group discussions facilitated by committee members and staff.
What could the property become?
In its three meetings to date, the committee has discussed possible uses only in general terms.
Town Manager King has said the town has not identified a particular space need that could be fulfilled at the site and noted that the development committee is charged with exploring all options.
The committee has acknowledged there is a need for senior-directed housing, as well as support for a youth-oriented community center.
The committee has received a letter from the Charles River YMCA “to formally express our interest in collaborating with the Town throughout the planning process.”
While the effort has been focused on the site currently occupied by the apartment building, the town also controls the adjacent Greene’s Field, which is under the jurisdiction of Parks & Recreation. The access to approximately five contiguous acres on one side of Pickering between May Street and Great Plain Avenue could provide additional, more expansive options.
The existing building does not necessarily need to be torn down. It could be renovated again. In its summary of the general building conditions, the consultants noted, “Old schools, even those over a century old, often age well.”
The report also noted that “former schools are frequently converted into housing, like this one was. However, office or mixed-use projects can also work within their shells.”
“Structurally, the building is in good condition,” the report concluded, adding that it also “retains much of its original charm.”
The report also includes a number of “barriers to conversion.” It does not meet accessibility standards, it has no elevator and “if extensive exterior or interior improvements are made and become expensive, they will trigger other regulatory requirements.”
“Converting an old building into new uses is not as straightforward as new construction. Adding onto a century-old building is fraught with complications. There are many unknowns, even with the best historical documentation. One never knows what is there until a more intensive diagnosis is made and there are often surprises.”
The study raised no environmental red flags, nor were wetlands or floodplain issues anticipated. The property has no historic preservation designations.
“Future land use scenarios will consider the opportunities and constraints of demolishing the building for potential new development or open space, as well as the possibilities of adaptive reuse, partial demolition, and/or building modifications. All options remain on the table.”
What’s not on the agenda?
The 1977 lease agreement did not require the building to be cleared of tenants before being returned to town control. Town officials negotiated with Crowninshield/SPA for an earlier clearing of the building because it said it did not have the capability to take over as property manager.
The individual rental leases for all 28 units expire Oct. 31, 2026 — six months ahead of the expiration of the ground lease. If all tenants relocate well ahead of the May 2027 expiration of the ground lease, the town may take control earlier than scheduled.
Under an agreement between the town and Crowninshield/SPA which was approved by a more than two-thirds majority at Special Town Meeting in the fall, Crowninshield/SPA will be reimbursed for any rental income it would forgo by not filling units as they become vacant.
The town has also committed to providing up to $10,000 per tenant in relocation services.
The committee anticipates there will be questions regarding that early termination, but noted the meeting is intended to be forward-looking and not a discussion on the merits of the decision to not extend leases until a new use has been decided. In its three meetings to date, the committee has discussed possible uses only in general terms.
“This meeting is about the re-use of the building. It’s not about current residents,” said the committee’s chair, Marianne Cooley.
Who will have jurisdiction over the property?
One issue for any new purpose is that the property will revert to the jurisdiction of the School Committee when it is returned to the town. Town Manager Katie King discussed the Stephen Palmer property with the School Committee at its Jan. 6 meeting and heard mixed opinions on continuing the jurisdiction.
Member Andrea Longo Carter referred to the contentious discussions between the School Committee and the Parks & Rec Commission when Park & Rec declined to cede its jurisdiction over DeFazio Park as a site for a new Pollard Middle School.
“I appreciate that there’s a desire to come to a decision on this (the Stephen Palmer site), but given the problems with our recent discussions with other elected bodies, I’m very concerned about giving up any land that is currently under our jurisdiction because there’s almost none left.”
Schools Superintendent Dan Gutekanst indicated he’s more open to surrendering the parcel, saying “From my perspective, it is not a parcel that is going to serve the needs of the Needham Public Schools now or even frankly in the near or distant future.”
“It’s not a school anymore, it’s an apartment building. So it would have to be retrofitted,” he said. He also questioned the timing of going to the town for investment while the $300+ million Pollard project is still in process.
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