SWAMPSCOTT — The Hadley Elementary School building will most likely be used as a boutique hotel, affordable housing for seniors or a mixed-use commercial building with arts and community space.
The Hadley School Reuse Advisory Committee presented these three scenarios at an open house Tuesday evening, where they also gathered feedback from residents in attendance.
Hadley was built in 1911, with an annex connected to the main building by a walkway completed in 1925. All three scenarios proposed by the committee involve the demolition of the annex and construction of a new addition.
Town Senior Planner Molly O’Connell explained that a main reason the committee is recommending the demolition of the annex is that the building does not currently have an elevator, which is required to make the building accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). An elevator cannot be added to the main structure without sacrificing a large amount of the limited space inside, but because the existing annex is separate, it cannot house an elevator that is also accessible from the main structure. Building a new addition would also most likely be cheaper than bringing the 1925 annex up to safety and accessibility standards.
Hadley will be redeveloped only if the town votes later this year to build a town-wide elementary school at the site of the current Stanley School, deeming the Hadley building excess.
All three designs also include a playground, patios, sitting areas and community plazas or gathering spaces. General parking for the town is contingent upon the final designs, but each preliminary design allows for approximately 50 parking spaces.
If the town chooses a mixed-use commercial use for the building, the basement and first floor would house arts and community uses, and the first through third floors would be open to commercial tenants, such as stores, office space or cafes. The revenue from this space would offset the operating costs of the building, and the auditorium could be reused as a function or performance space.
The building would be owned in a public-private partnership with a long-term lease for the developer or condo-ization of the building, and would use a combination of traditional financing and private equity for the commercial space, with grants, donations and town allocation of funds for the community and arts space.
If the site is chosen for affordable housing, it would most likely be for seniors, as senior housing does not require the large amount of space necessary for family housing. The building can accommodate approximately 40 units for seniors. The town also has a large number of seniors in need, O’Connell said.
The design would also include a first-floor public space, most likely one with a civic use that serves the community.
This scenario would be financed through grants and private sources, as well as town allocation for the public space. The town would also receive low-income housing tax credits for the affordable units. The building would have a long-term ground lease of 99 years, with potential condo-ization of the public space.
The final scenario proposed by the committee is a boutique hotel, which would include a restaurant and function room, again reusing the existing auditorium, and provide an overnight-stay opportunity in town. It would most likely accommodate between 30 and 40 rooms.
This scenario would be financed through private equity and traditional financing, and room rentals, event fees and food and beverage revenues would offset the operating costs. The town would offer the building through a long-term ground lease of 99 years.
O’Connell explained that the three scenarios will be brought to the Select Board as the committee’s official recommendations, but that discussions on what the final product looks like will be ongoing.
“There’s still more work to do on all three,” she said. “We’re not at the end game at all.”
