An overflow crowd packed the Select Board meeting room at Abbot Hall Thursday night to share ideas and learn more about plans for the empty Coffin School property on Turner Road. The school was built in 1948 and has been vacant since 2021.
People — many who live in the Coffin School neighborhood — learned that the nonprofit Harborlight Homes has proposed a 40-unit affordable housing project that would retain the original school building and feature a significant amount of open space.
The project would include one, two and three-bedroom units with a focus on attracting senior residents.
Brendan Callahan, director of Marblehead’s Community Development and Planning Department, emphasized that the town is in the very early stages of deciding how to proceed with the property and hasn’t made any decisions. Ultimately, the Select Board will make the final call on what to do with the property.
In addition to Harborlight Homes, several town departments have expressed interest in the property, including:
- The Cemetery Department for more burial space
- Marblehead Light Department for temporary battery storage
- Recreation & Parks for a new dog park
- Marblehead Housing Authority for new affordable housing
- Community Development and Planning Department for boat storage
The three-acre parcel is zoned for single-family homes, but semidetached, two-family dwellings are allowed with a special permit.
Anything more dense than that would require a Town Meeting vote.
Neighbors made it clear — they do not want a developer buying the property and building a big apartment building or condo complex.
Many stated support for elderly housing or affordable housing for veterans and Marblehead residents or workers.
“We don’t need more million-dollar housing,” said one man. “Don’t turn it over to private developers. Let’s see if we come together as a community, really sort out the concerns and the fears and find the right answer. I think there’s a right answer in the middle here somewhere.”
Kurt James, who lives in town and is a housing advocate, suggested affordable assisted living.
“What that would mean is a very high-quality building would be constructed there, but residents, instead of paying upward of 90 or 95% of their income, like they would do in a nursing home, they would pay 30% of their income. There are several nonprofits who have constructed using this model. We can have a high preference for Marblehead residents, so we’re not necessarily talking about bringing in people from out of town. We could have a preference for veterans.”
Other neighbors suggested using the property as open green space or a mix of a playground, dog park and handful of apartments or small homes. Lifelong Turner Road resident Steve Elliot said before the school was built, there were about a dozen GI lots on the property that sold for $500 each.
“If you build something with 12 units, that would be good,” said another neighbor. “But do I want something with 40 units, with rubbish and noise? I don’t think it’s fair that we should be asked to accept that.”
Other neighbors expressed concern that the town would simply sell the property to the highest bidder, no matter the impact on the community.
“We’re not looking to make a quick buck; we’re looking at what our community needs,” Callahan replied.
Jack Attridge urged the town to take its time making a decision.
“If we sell it and we get a one-time cash benefit, even if the buildings and property are valued at $5 million, you’re only going to get $50,000 a year out of that. Let’s not rush to an RFP (request for proposal) when we should consider the value of the property and that we can’t just un-ring the bell and get it back. I hope we don’t rush to a sale or to alternatives before we consider tearing down the building and understanding the value in what we currently own.”
Select Board Chair Dan Fox assured the crowd, “We are here to listen. So the next step … is to bring this information together. And we’re listening to what you guys are saying. We represent you.”
Callahan is planning a second listening session next month and hopes to “finalize project direction and next steps” ny the end of January. For more information and updates on the Coffin School property process, visit marbleheadma.gov/coffin-school-adaptive-reuse/.
