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Committee warned rapid development could add 700 units and strain school capacity
Summary
A committee member said recent proposals cited in local media could add roughly 700 new housing units to the town and warned that such growth, including a separate 251-unit proposal near a former fire station, could overwhelm school capacity within five years.
A committee member raised an alert about multiple proposed housing projects that could add hundreds of units to the town and put strain on district school capacity.
"I believe there's something to the effect of 700 potential new units... and if we added 700 students to this town, it would be... we don't have the bandwidth to do it," the committee member said, asking the chair to reconvene a planning group and involve town planning officials. The speaker also referenced a separate proposal of roughly 251 units near a former fire station.
The chair responded that the committee would ask Dr. McNamara (referred to in the meeting) whether the committee's planning group could be reconvened as the school year approaches. Members said middle-school space and some other facilities might absorb limited growth but that central schools and the high school already face tight capacity.
Next steps: the committee agreed to explore reconvening planning discussions and to seek more detailed enrollment and site information so the district can assess impacts.
