Revere presents notice of intent for high school at former Wonderland Greyhound Park; wetlands and floodplain protections highlighted

For the record, Claire Hogeboom, wetland scientist with LEC Environmental Consultants representing the applicant, the city of Revere, said the project team was presenting a notice of intent for the Revere High School project (DEP file 0610846) at the former Wonderland Greyhound Park site.

The project team told the Revere Conservation Commission the proposal would place a podium-style high school (grades 9–12) on the southeastern frontage of the lot, with at-grade parking beneath the building, athletic fields, new access points at VFW Parkway and North Shore Road, pedestrian access from the neighborhood to the north, and a compensatory storage area and natural outdoor classroom along the Eastern County Ditch.

The project team described existing conditions: the MBTA commuter rail on the west, a remnant dog racetrack and foundations near the southwest of the site, and areas of paved surface across much of the southern and eastern property. During the ANRAD review process, the team said the 100-year floodplain was identified on the site and that portions of the property are classified as bordering land subject to flooding (BLSF) and land subject to coastal storm flowage; the team noted the presence of an isolated wetland inside the former racetrack that carries a 100-foot buffer under the commission's earlier determination.

Claire Hogeboom said the proposed building would be a podium style structure with a base parking elevation at 4 and a first-floor elevation of 19, which the team described as being above the site's 100-year floodplain to allow floodwaters to pass beneath the building during a 100-year event. The plan includes two vehicular entrances at existing traffic signals on VFW Parkway and North Shore Road, electric vehicle charging stations in surface parking and in the garage (69 charging-capable spaces total), five tennis courts, and two synthetic athletic fields with subsurface drainage. The team also said geothermal wells are proposed beneath one of the synthetic turf fields to provide heating and cooling for the school.

To offset fill within bordering land subject to flooding, the team proposed a compensatory storage area on the west side of the Eastern County Ditch that would be regraded and planted as an upland meadow and natural outdoor classroom with boardwalks and walking paths for passive recreation. The presentation described three approximately 6-foot-wide boardwalk crossings and 6-foot-wide pervious walking paths made from a composite sand material intended to remain pervious after flooding. A proposed 15-foot-wide pedestrian-only crossing would provide neighborhood access from Dunn Road; a separate emergency-vehicles-only access from Dunn Road would use an existing southern crossing only in emergencies.

Hogeboom also flagged an existing groundwater contamination record in a gravel laydown area between the Eastern County Ditch and the MBTA tracks that the project team said will be remediated during construction. David Conway of Niche Engineering was introduced as the team member who would address stormwater details later in the presentation.

No formal vote on the notice of intent is recorded in the excerpt of the meeting transcript provided. The presentation concluded with the project team available to answer questions and to provide additional technical details to the commission.

Next steps were not specified in the excerpt; the commission will consider the notice under the Wetlands Protection Act and relevant local regulations in subsequent procedural steps.