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Acton to consider authorizing sale of 13 School Street; Select Board recommends transfer
Summary
Article 13 would authorize the Select Board to convey a 0.34-acre parcel at 13 School Street in South Acton; the town issued an RFP seeking redevelopment proposals that include parking, public benefits and possible affordable housing. The Select Board unanimously recommended the article; a two-thirds vote is required at Town Meeting.
The Town of Acton will consider Article 13, a warrant article that would authorize the Select Board to transfer and convey the town-owned parcel at 13 School Street, a 0.34-acre lot in the South Acton Village zoning district and the South Acton Historic District, if two-thirds of voters at Town Meeting approve the measure.
The article would give the Select Board authority to transfer the parcel (shown as Parcel 49 on the Town of Acton atlas) from its current custodian to the Select Board for the purpose of conveyance and to authorize the Select Board to set terms and consideration for the conveyance, which may include nonmonetary consideration. The deed is recorded at the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds in Book 20867, Page 513.
Town staff issued a request for proposals, seeking a “responsive and responsible” proposer for reuse of 13 School Street along with an adjacent vacant municipal building at 3 School Street. The town said it will weigh proposed purchase price and several evaluation criteria, including a clear construction schedule and demonstrated ability to secure financing. The RFP favors proposals that can begin redevelopment within one to two years and that show experience completing five or more similar projects.
The RFP and staff materials say advantageous proposals would provide public benefits such as parks, historical markers or streetscape and infrastructure improvements, and would offer at least 10 parking spaces for public use. The town estimates redevelopment could produce more than $14,000 in annual property tax revenue and improve public access to the South Acton commuter rail station and nearby businesses and institutions. Proposals may include commercial or nonprofit uses plus residential units and could include affordable housing that increases Acton’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI).
The Acton Select Board unanimously recommended Article 13. The transcript of the meeting includes the article text and the RFP criteria but does not record a Town Meeting vote on the article in the provided excerpt. The warrant specifies a two-thirds majority is required for passage.
If approved at Town Meeting, the Select Board would be authorized to negotiate terms of conveyance and accept monetary or nonmonetary consideration as it deems appropriate. Timing for a final conveyance will depend on proposal selection, negotiated terms and any subsequent approvals required by state law or local ordinance.
