Bye-Bye, Bradstreet

Selectmen voted 4-1 Monday night to approve a proposal to purchase the Bradstreet School property and demolish the school building to build mixed-use retail and residential units.

Hearthstone's Option 3 was the one most appealing to selectmen, at $300,000.

"I was very impressed with Heartstone Realty, Option 3, because it's the only one that takes Saunders Street into consideration," Selectman Tracy Watson said. "And what really impressed me was their vision for the future of the area."

This plan maintains the streetscape and brings in more retail and office space and fewer residential units than the previous option. It calls for an enlarged plaza area and retail space along Main Street, 9,500 square feet of office space on the second floor, 6 townhouses and 6 flats, and 73 total spaces.

"This becomes just a two-story building with offices above," Designer Mark Yanowitz said last week as that company was pitching their proposals. "We've had conversations with local businesses who were particularly attracted to this plan. This is probably our most balanced use of mix-use features."

The complex would be called Bradstreet on Main.

"We wanted to tip our hat to the school," Yanowitz said. "I know there is a lot of sentiment toward that building."

This does not solidify a contract. Town Manager Andrew Maylor must now meet with Hearthstone for negotiations.

Selectmen voted for Oakgrove's proposal to be their second choice (in case the Hearthstone deal falls through.

Oakgrove Residential Inc. -- which is currently working on restoration of mill buildings along the Shawsheen River in Andover -- presented an offer of $250,000 and an option to keep the Bradstreet School building standing and even spreading the Main Street retail buildings apart to make the school building a focal point.

Oakgrove's plan called for integration of the property into the current streetscape and emphasizing the area's historic character, spokesman Victor Sheen said.

"The town is looking for a pedestrian-friendly environment, and our challenge was to really look at what is there and make it better," Sheen said. "If you look at the [Bradstreet] building, it's really set back from Main Street. Looking at it, it looks as if Main Street stops right there."

Sheen said Oakgrove's plan calls for some retail space in front along Main Street and turning the inner property into a courtyard/plaza environment, with the Bradstreet School building converted into a residential building with 10-to-15 units. The plan calls for 50 parking spaces as well as bicycle parking.

Under this plan, Saunders Street would not have a building along it, but instead there would be parking and landscaping along that side of the property. And with the plaza along Main Street, selectmen expressed concern that it would cause too much traffic on Saunders Street.

All the selectmen seemed to like both options, but in the end selectmen voted for Hearthstone, which would bring more commercial property to the area, gives special consideration to Saunders Street and laid out a vision for the neighborhood in the future.

"I haven't heard from one person under 70 who wants to keep the school, but I haven't heard from anyone who wants traffic on Saunders Street," Selectman Don Stewart said.

Selectman Rosemary Smedile was the dissenting vote. She wanted Oakgrove to be first place and Hearthstone to be second place, because she liked that Oakgrove's proposal would keep the Bradstreet School building standing.

Last year, Town Meeting voted to allow selectmen to sell the property. Since then, the property has been the subject of debate, with the Historical Commission calling for the building to be preserved and Saunders Street residents expressing concern about traffic that could result from development there.

Here's a run-down of the other proposals:

Hearthstone Option 2

This plan maintains the streetscape and brings in retail space as well as 22 residential units --9,600 square feet of residential, 16 townhouses and 6 flats -- and an enlarged plaza area. The plan brings retail space along Main Street and 73 total parking spaces.

Many residents have expressed concern about residential units causing crowding of schools. Designer Mark Yanowitz spoke about that in his presentation.

"Studies have shown that these 1- and 2-bedroom, more urban style apartments don't really bring a lot of children," Yanowitz said. "These studies have shown that they do not really impact the school systems."

Hearthstone Option 4

This plan maintains the street scape and calls for all retail and office space, no residential units. The plan would enlarge the plaza area, create retail space along Main Street and 10,000 square feet of office space on the second floor. The plan would include 68 total parking spaces.

"This scheme has us eliminating the rear residential building," Yanowitz said. "If the town wanted to lease more parking spaces for whatever reason, we would be open to creating more parking than we need."

The plan addresses concerns about parking, since there would be no residential units to take up parking spaces.

"Obviously this is a revenue drop for us, but we just wanted to keep it on the table," Hearthstone President Bill Perkins said.

"To be honest, I don't know if the parking situation is real or perceived," Selectman Tracy Watson said. "I come downtown often, and I always find a parking space."

Watson added that the second residential building along Saunders Street in the other two plans could actually improve property values on Saunders Street.

RGC's Streetside Shops

RGC LLC, based out of Somerville, which previously worked on the East Mill properties, prented an option to save the Bradstreet School building and adding stores along Main Street.

"We went in with the idea of doing whatever it takes to save the building. We understand that the town was open to razing the building, but we want to... maintain the historic fabric of the town," RGC spokesman David Steinberg Said. "We would frame the entrance into that building off the street and work from there, and make that continue to be a landmark along Main Street."

The plan calls for a single-story retail shops -- about 8,000 square feet -- along Main Street with an entrance in the middle encasing the Bradstreet School. The Bradstreet School building itself would be renovated inside and turned into mixed-use, with five apartments in the top floor and offices on the ground floor. There would be 52 parking spots.

RGC asked for leeway regarding the residential units, depending on what interest the market brings. If there wasn't interest in residential units inside the Bradstreet School building, they would build them in back along Saunders Street.

"You've been a great corporate citizen," Selectman Rosemary Smedile said.

Water Street Retail's Big Change

Water Street Retail, LLC presented a plan that would demolish the Bradstreet School building andreplace it

"Our proposal is a little different because we don't have any maybes," spokesman Stephen Stapinski said.

Water Street Retail's proposal would house a regional restaurant chain (Stapinski did not say which restaurant chain).

"We knew that they were looking, and they told us they wanted a 3,000-square foot space," he said.

Another national retailer would be located to the right of the restaurant. The plan called for 80 parking spaces.

"We really felt that the Town of North Andover, in looking at that building, rehabbing it and making it work with the town is one thing... but really we thought that the new two-story type building brings new character and would be coincidental to the retail proerty across from Town Hall," Stapinski said.

But selectmen did not exactly seem to love the plan.

"I think it's a good proposal, but it doesn't seem to fit with the architecture of the area," Selectmen Chair Bill Gordon said.