Beverly Selling Vacant School To Developer

BEVERLY, MA — The city will sell the vacant Briscoe school building to Harborlight Community Partners for $600,000. The developer plans to convert the building into 85 affordable housing units for senior citizens. The redeveloped property will also include 11 artist work studios and the school's auditorium will be kept for performances by North Shore Music Theatre.

"Affordable housing with dignity for our seniors is a HUGE need in our City," At-Large City COuncilor Julie Flowers said in a Facebook post. "I am grateful to see this opportunity for us to gain some such housing so that we can do better for our seniors, many of whom have lived in Beverly for many years and desperately need an affordable place such as this so that they can continue to call Beverly home."

Briscoe was built in 1923 and has, at different times, served as Beverly's high school, junior high school and middle school. A new middle school opened in 2018. Beverly officials started discussing plans for the vacant school last year.

At the time, Mayor Mike Cahill said the goal was to at least preserve the facade of the building. "With affordable housing tax credits and low-income housing tax credits, there seems to be a real shot at saving the building," Cahill said. "That could put enough money into a financing package to actually rehab it for future use."