Plans to transform the dilapidated former Oldham Elementary School into a rejuvenated gem within the heart of Riverside became a little clearer following a public meeting on June 4 at the Fuller Creative Center — but they got a little more contentious, too.

While the original concept — to convert the school’s gymnasium into a community center where events and performances could be held, and to incorporate some sort of business incubator (whether it be a food incubator like Warren’s Hope & Main, or another concept entirely, is yet to be determined) — remains a primary focus of the project, Mayor Bob DaSilva informed attendees at the meeting that the city was also intent on creating new housing opportunities within the open space surrounding the former school.

“Very early concept. Very, very early planning,” DaSilva said. “But I would love to see some of this land around here utilized for some type of owner-occupied affordable housing so that we can make more opportunities available for people who live in Riverside, people who may be be aging out and and looking to downsize.”

DaSilva said the exact type of housing, and how much, was still up for negotiation. He mentioned the possibility of some units being listed as deed-restricted affordable, while some of it could be for seniors aged 55 and older.

“We don't know what form that would take,” he said. “Fifty-five and older seems to be a push that we'd like to see happen.”

Despite the mayor’s insistence that nothing was set in stone, the presentation given to meeting attendees by the city’s grant-funded consultants (New Venture Advisors) rung alarm bells for some a hypothetical site map of the property popped up; showing a dense configuration of three-story housing structures surrounding the renovated school, which the slide indicated amounted to around 96 total units.

An uneasy silence in the room felt palpable, and one woman who attended didn’t hesitate to provide her thoughts on the concept.

“That’s 10 pounds of crap in a 5-pound bag,” she said.

Another attendee implored the audience, now chattering lowly among themselves, to at least hear out the proposal in earnest.

Rick Lawson, who represents Riverside as Ward 4 City Councilman, said in an interview following the meeting that he was surprised to see so many housing units even be floated as a possibility for the project.

“I met with him Monday [June 2] and he said, ‘Oh by the way, with Oldham, I'd like to add some housing.’ I said, ‘Bob, I'll have an open mind.’ Maybe some townhouse style housing. Maybe we can do some 55-plus. I said, ‘But you know the focus has got to be on the [school] building.’ Two days later, he never told me he already had drawings and a proposal for 96 units,” Lawson said. “And that, to me, is frustrating, because I would have told him before the meeting that was a non-starter.”

Cost of project could necessitate housing
While the exact number of units included in the housing element of the plan has not been decided, the consultants explained how revenue-generating elements would be required in any configuration of the plan in order to make the project financially-feasible for a developer.

Cost projections to mitigate the building of hazardous conditions, do site work, and renovate the building amount to $23.9 million (that also includes other soft costs which may or may not come to fruition).

They estimated that in an ideal world where everything goes to plan, the project would take at least three years from today to get to completion. Once open, it would take five to seven years of operation to become revenue neutral or slightly profitable for a developer from the incubator space alone.

DaSilva confirmed at the meeting that the city is not in a financial position to undertake such a costly project on the taxpayers’ dime, so it would require enticing a developer to come to the table.

He mentioned drawing inspiration from Portsmouth, who brought in a nonprofit, community housing developer to construct a housing project for those aged 55 and older, which also included the building of a brand new senior center for the town; a “win-win for everybody,” DaSilva said.

Importantly, DaSilva said that the city would maintain ownership of the property, rather than selling the land as part of a development deal.

“The goal is to go out to RFP to see if someone is willing to come in with their money to do this work,” DaSilva said. “Bottom line is, we want to make the land available to someone to come in and do this at no cost for the first few years, and it would be a lease opportunity, because we don't want to lose the property. We want to still own it, but we’ll do a 50- or 90-year lease or whatever it is that needs to happen to make this a reality.”

Three 'zones' of use
The consultants mentioned how other uses of the renovated school building could also generate revenue. Such ideas included turning former classrooms into “maker studios” where artists and other creative types could rent and utilize them to their specific needs. A concept for a large, commercial kitchen to be used as part of an incubator space for one or multiple food businesses was again proposed.

The consultant team envisioned three “zones” within the building. One zone would be centered around the commercial kitchen area, and include spaces for training and storage of goods. A second zone would include the community space, with a performance area, gallery spaces, and perhaps a cafe. The third zone would be for the rentable, shared spaces for smaller nonprofits or entrepreneurs to do their work.

“The main point for this model is that it's malleable,” said Avi Mallinger, project manager for New Venture Advisors.

That talk of such customizability was only slightly comforting to Lawson, who said he had been dealing with calls from concerned constituents since the meeting happened; because of the housing proposal. He said that striking a balance between generating the necessary revenue to make the project possible, while not overburdening the neighborhood with an overly-dense housing element, would be the key.

“I'm not against housing. I got other areas in Riverside that would be prime to build housing. So, it's not a case of being anti-housing,” he said. “And believe me, when it comes to affordable, I started my parents in affordable housing. So, I'm all for championing for that. However, this may not be the right place to put it. But if we can monetize it in a way that is compatible with what the neighbors are comfortable with, then that can be a conversation.”

“I just wanted people to know it's not a done deal,” he said.