Peabody holds Centennial Park workshop as officials weigh 140-acre Rousulo purchase and redevelopment

Peabody City on Wednesday hosted a public workshop to gather community input for a Centennial Park mini master plan funded in part by a $65,000 state grant through Mass Development.

Mayor Ted Bettton Court opened the session and said the effort is intended to collect public ideas rather than present a completed plan. “This is just an opportunity to really get people’s opinions and to do a review,” he said, inviting residents to take part in three interactive activities organized by the project team.

Why it matters: consultants and city staff said Centennial Park is a significant economic asset for Peabody, contributing nearly 10% of the municipal commercial tax base. The master plan will assess land use, infrastructure needs and redevelopment opportunities on roughly 300 acres of the park and produce buildout scenarios and recommendations.

City purchase under review: the mayor told attendees the council voted unanimously to move forward with pursuing the purchase of about 140 acres associated with a nearby site referred to in the meeting as “Rousulo,” including possible acquisition of water rights, but that environmental testing must be completed before any final acquisition. “We have to make sure that what we’re purchasing is right for the city,” he said, describing testing that staff expect to take place during the coming spring.

Consultant presentation and constraints: Andrew Julian of R&D Consultants described the study scope—site visits, stakeholder interviews, a high-level SWOT and benchmarking exercise, and sample buildout scenarios. He noted the park’s strengths (highway access and large lot sizes) and its constraints, including fragmented ownership, parking requirements, zoning designations and topography, all of which could limit development density.

Analogic site redevelopment: staff took questions about recent changes at the former Analogic property. Presenters said Analogic sold the site to a developer identified in the transcript as Tishman Spire, which plans to demolish existing buildings and build a large, multi‑building commercial-industrial project. Staff said the buyer is marketing approximately 710,000 square feet of new industrial/flex space spread across four buildings but has not yet secured tenants; officials estimated demolition and construction would likely take multiple years.

Zoning and potential new uses: attendees asked whether nonindustrial uses—such as a grocery store or sports facility—could be sited in Centennial Park. Staff said the park is largely zoned for industrial uses and that any change to permit different commercial or retail uses would require formal zoning changes approved by the city council; the master plan is intended to inform whether such changes should be pursued.

Traffic and safety concerns: the mayor and staff recounted long‑standing safety issues at several park intersections and described prior efforts to add traffic calming measures. They said the City of Lynn objected to some proposed changes and that MassDOT asserted jurisdiction over a roadway, leaving the city unable to implement certain traffic modifications after hearings with the agency.

Public engagement and next steps: attendees were invited to participate in three interactive activities—mapping, identifying catalytic opportunity sites and an envelope vote to prioritize physical improvements, programming, economic development or policy changes. The project team said it will compile the workshop feedback into a draft report and aims to present a final report to the public in about two months.

The meeting was recorded by PBD public access television and staff encouraged residents who could not attend to submit comments via email or the city’s Community Development office.

What happens next: staff said environmental testing on the Rousulo acreage will inform whether the city proceeds with purchase and explained that any zone changes or major development proposals identified by the master plan would require separate council approvals and, where applicable, approvals from state agencies.