Concord planners review proposed 205,562‑sq. ft. middle school; neighbors push for more traffic and pedestrian protections

The Concord Planning Board on Monday reviewed plans for a proposed 205,562‑square‑foot middle school on the Reynold Middle School site and heard residents urge changes to circulation and pedestrian safety. The nonbinding review under state law gives the school district design feedback but does not require the district to accept recommendations.

Nobis Group representative Chris Nato of Nobis Group described a three‑story building with a roughly 98,000‑square‑foot footprint and said the team expects foundations to start in early April, with the building substantially complete by December 2028 and full site work finished around fall 2030. "We expect the new building to be complete around December 2028," Nato said.

The project team emphasized separating bus and parent vehicle circulation to reduce conflicts. Rebecca Brown of Greenman Peterson explained the planned bus routing: buses would enter from South Street, travel on Noise Street, proceed west on Cornell and turn into the proposed north bus loop; buses would exit via a one‑way Cypress Street back to Noise Street and South Street. "Buses will be coming in via South Street, turning onto Noise Street... and then take the right‑hand turn into the site," Brown said.

Why it matters: the design aims to solve longstanding safety concerns at the existing school, but neighbors warned the proposed routing will increase large‑vehicle traffic on narrow neighborhood streets and create new pedestrian risks. Deborah Samaha, a Ward 7 resident, said she was "concerned greatly about the buses coming up and down Noise Street," and asked the board to press for stronger mitigations.

Traffic and pedestrian issues dominated public comment. Nicole Fox, a transportation engineer and member of the city's TAC and the middle school building committee, told the board she had reviewed the study and recommended a deeper evaluation of bicycle and pedestrian access and safety, noting that changing access points will alter the routes students use. "I think it would be appropriate for the school district to identify what improvements are needed even if who is responsible for making those improvements is left undecided at this time," Fox said.

Project details and mitigation: the site plan shows separate parent drop‑off to the south and an on‑site bus loop to the north designed to process two waves of buses (about 9–10 buses per wave) and storage for all 19 buses. The team reported on‑site queuing for parents and buses and identified roughly 194 new parking spaces plus targeted solar canopies and ground‑source heat pumps; team members said the building is intended to be net zero with rooftop solar and canopy arrays. "The intent is net zero," Chris Nato said.

Board and staff follow‑up: planning staff and the applicant agreed to refine the traffic study to include revised turning‑path diagrams, sight‑line analysis, sidewalk gap mapping and updated queueing calculations. Rebecca Brown said those items will be added and that the team would map where sidewalks exist and where gaps must be filled. Residents asked for a neighborhood meeting; the project team said it would coordinate with the school board on outreach.

What’s next: because this was a nonbinding 674 review, the planning board provided advisory comments and requested the traffic and drainage analyses be updated; any formal land‑use approvals or construction permits will occur later in district and city permitting processes. The board closed the hearing after public comment and staff said the district will return with revised materials for further consideration.

Documentation: presenters at the table included Chris Nato of Nobis Group, Tina Stannisoski of HMFH Architects and Rebecca Brown of Greenman Peterson. Public speakers who commented included Deborah Samaha (Ward 7), Mila Paul and Nicole Fox.