Design update: Revere’s new high school plans for under‑building parking, raised first floor and coastal design steps

The Revere City Council received a design development update for the new Revere High School on Feb. 3. Senior project manager Brian Dakin and architects from Perkins Eastman presented site plans, exterior materials and key program elements, and answered councilors’ questions about coastal flood risk, permitting and state reimbursement.

The most newsworthy details: the building’s first floor will be elevated roughly 16 feet to meet coastal flood requirements; the design includes under‑building parking (roughly 300–350 spaces) and plus‑surface parking to yield about 650 total parking spaces on campus; the campus plan includes two athletic fields, five tennis courts and an internal courtyard; the team expects to bid demolition of the old dog‑track foundations in March–April and to mobilize building construction in August if cost estimates and permitting remain on schedule.

Why it matters: Councilors pressed designers about the project’s exposure to tidal flooding and about a new MSBA rule that withholds reimbursement until MEPA review is complete. The project team said MEPA steps are under way and that, while coastal floodplain issues require mitigation and raise design cost considerations, they are incorporated into the current design and schedule.

Design, schedule and permitting Brian Dakin said the project cleared the first of three MEPA (Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act) steps and is submitting the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) in the current month. If the design remains on budget, site demolition bids will run in March and April and demolition work could begin in May, with foundations and site utilities bid later in the summer and full construction mobilization around August. Dakin said two independent estimators are pricing the design development package; a cost update is planned for a March council meeting.

Key technical elements explained by Perkins Eastman and McKyoung Kim Design - Building massing: the academic wing is the tallest portion (four stories at the street edge) while site‑level grade requires the first occupied floor to sit about 16 feet above existing grade due to floodplain elevation; designers use curves and faceting to reduce perceived length (the academic wing spans more than two football fields). - Parking and site: under‑building parking (accessed from the west) plus surface parking yield roughly 650 total spaces; bus and car drop locations are shown off the east and south campus entries; designers described controlled dumpster areas and receiving off the west approach. - Athletics and amenities: a multi‑sport turf field, a traditional turf soccer field, five tennis courts, a courtyard linked to the cafeteria, and a 1,000‑seat auditorium with orchestra and balcony options. - Landscaping and learning: proposals include outdoor classrooms, learning gardens, a micro‑forest, healing/restorative garden areas, boardwalks, fitness zones and flexible lawns intended as curricular resources.

Floodplain, MEPA and MSBA questions Councilors asked whether MEPA findings could delay MSBA reimbursement or increase local borrowing. Dakin said MSBA implemented a guideline that withholds reimbursement until the MEPA process is complete; he estimated a large reimbursement check (roughly $20–$25 million) would arrive after MEPA certification. The project team said they are designing mechanical and electrical systems above predicted inundation levels and that the under‑building garage is intentionally designed so that no critical mechanical equipment is placed at levels that would be submerged during severe coastal events. Dakin said the design team has modeled 50‑ and 100‑year storm scenarios and is using drainage basins and compensatory storage to avoid shedding water into neighboring properties.

Commuter rail and site access Councilors also asked about a proposed commuter‑rail station at Wonderland and how it would connect to the campus. Dakin said the sprint to design the high school has outpaced the MBTA’s station study; the team has been sharing plans with MBTA staff and expects coordination to continue. The designers said a commuter‑rail platform concept remains under discussion and that any station design will need separate MBTA processes.

Public comment and next steps Members of the public asked about garage flooding during storms, long‑term durability of systems and whether the school will be “state‑of‑the‑art” when completed; architects replied that mechanical and classroom technology purchases will be timed to procurement near construction completion to avoid obsolescence. The team reiterated plans for a more detailed cost and permitting update at an early March council meeting.

Ending: The council accepted the update and scheduled a cost/permitting presentation in early March; the project remains in active design development and MEPA review.