<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=23u80a_1H0TmxmM00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=23u80a_1H0TmxmM00" width="750" height="420" ><figcaption>Left, North Shore Community Development Coalition and Zeta InSite's proposed redevelopment includes apartments, townhouses, and outdoor recreation areas. Right, Harbourlight Homes' proposed redevelopment includes 20 family housing units, 21 senior housing units, and open space.</figcaption></figure>Two proposals to redevelop the former Coffin School would create 41 to 56 affordable homes, offering different approaches to senior housing, homeownership, and preserving the school’s buildings.Community Development and Planning Director Brendan Callahan outlined the competing plans during a Housing Committee meeting, where residents raised questions about parking, protection of open space, and how the developments would fit into the surrounding neighborhood.Harborlight Homes proposes 41 rental apartments for seniors and families. A joint proposal from North Shore Community Development Coalition and Zeta InSite calls for 48 senior apartments and eight townhomes for purchase.Neither proposal has been approved. Callahan said the Select Board could discuss them Nov. 18, although that agenda item had not been confirmed.“Nothing approved at this point,” Callahan said, describing the projects as preliminary.Both proposals would preserve the original 1948 school building at 1 Turner Road, but they differ on the future of its 1963 annex. Harborlight would rehabilitate both structures and build additions, while North Shore CDC and Zeta would demolish the annex and replace it with a new residential building.The proposals follow a community planning process and a request for proposals that drew two submissions by the Oct. 19 deadline. The school has been vacant since students moved to the new Brown School in 2021.Harborlight’s plan would create 21 one-bedroom senior apartments in the original school and a small addition. Another 20 apartments, with one to three bedrooms, would occupy the renovated annex and a new two-story addition.The Beverly-based nonprofit proposes reserving approximately three-quarters of an acre for town open space. Callahan said Harborlight appeared willing to subdivide the property so the town could retain that portion.Harborlight estimates development costs at approximately $32.7 million and proposes a $500,000 upfront payment to the town under a ground lease. Its submission estimates $712,000 to $854,000 in property tax revenue over the first 10 years of operation and says it would not seek a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement.North Shore CDC and Zeta’s proposal would place 18 senior apartments in the original school and 30 in a replacement annex. Eight three-bedroom townhomes would line Turner Road, each with a separate entrance and a small yard.The senior apartments would serve residents 62 and older with incomes ranging from 30% to 80% of area median income. The townhomes would serve households earning between 80% and 110% of area median income, with deed restrictions preserving affordability when the homes are resold.The partners estimate approximately $29.9 million in costs for the senior apartments and $5.5 million for the townhomes, for a combined total of about $35.4 million. They offer $340,000 for the property.Their concept includes publicly accessible green space, connections to Turner Woods and 64 parking spaces — one for each senior apartment and two for each townhome.During public comment, residents questioned what would prevent open space from being developed later. Callahan said the town needed more information about ownership and protections under the proposals.“There is a need for clarification on some of the different parts of the proposal,” he said.Residents also questioned whether the proposed buildings would match the neighborhood and whether parking would accommodate residents, visitors and care providers.Callahan said the designs remained conceptual and could change as the town sought answers from the developers.“We have a lot of clarification questions that we need to present to the developers,” he said.Both proposals contemplate a preference for eligible local applicants. Harborlight’s submission requests a local preference for 70% of the homes, subject to state approval. Callahan said eligibility and tenant-selection requirements would need review by the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.Financing and permitting could put occupancy several years away. Harborlight’s proposed schedule anticipates residents beginning to move in during August 2031, while North Shore CDC and Zeta anticipate completing construction in 2032.Committee member Kurt James said permitting and public financing were major factors outside a developer’s control. He asked whether the town’s incentive zoning bylaw could provide a permitting route that would avoid a zoning change.“It would be great if the planning board could clarify that, because that would knock off a ton of time, and obviously, you know, significantly reduce the expenses here,” James said.Callahan said he would follow up with the Planning Board and town planner about whether the proposals could qualify.The Coffin School discussion was part of a broader update on housing developments, including Broughton Road and the Glover property.At Broughton Road, Callahan said the town continues to review a redevelopment concept with WinnDevelopment and the Marblehead Housing Authority. The developers are targeting February for submission of a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit application.The concept would bring the property from approximately 60 affordable homes to about 120 through renovation and new construction, Callahan said. It includes a senior housing building near Broughton Road and Humphrey Street, rehabilitation of existing buildings and replacement of buildings toward the rear of the property.Callahan said he did not yet have details of a relocation plan for current residents.At the Glover property, a new developer proposes three buildings containing 44 homes on the Marblehead portion of the site, including approximately 11 affordable units, he said.Using preliminary figures, Callahan estimated the projects could add approximately 111 affordable homes and increase the town’s subsidized housing inventory from 3.84% to about 5.1%. He stressed that those calculations depended on proposals that remained subject to change.“So that’s a pretty good jump for the town of Marblehead that hasn’t had any movement in quite a while,” he said.</div></body>

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Two proposals to redevelop the former Coffin School would create 41 to 56 affordable homes, offering different approaches to senior housing, homeownership, and preserving the school’s buildings. Community Development and Planning Director Brendan Callahan outlined the competing plans during a Housing Committee meeting, where residents raised questions about parking,...

Coffin School draws two housing proposals

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Two proposals to redevelop the former Coffin School would create 41 to 56 affordable homes, offering different approaches to senior housing, homeownership,

Coffin School draws two housing proposals

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