Chloe Shelford May 20, 2021
The Smithers Laboratory, which has operated out of a location next door to the Decas School since 2002, has expressed interest in purchasing the school after it closes, officials reported at the May 20 Redevelopment Authority Meeting.
The lab is requesting a zoning change at the June 12 Town Meeting that would allow the company to begin testing cannabis at its current location, which is less than 500 feet from the school.
And they may be expanding further.
The Decas School is set to close in January 2022, once students have moved to the new school being built on Minot Avenue.
A variety of uses have been floated for the old school. Calls to convert the building to senior housing seem unlikely to go forward, as the Redevelopment Authority, Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, and senior housing developer Pennrose have agreed the site is not well-suited for that use.
Madison Czopek May 13, 2021
Wareham Redevelopment Authority members discuss what to do with the building at 4 Recovery Rd. From left to right: Ken Buckland, Judith Whiteside and Richard Swenson.
To renovate or not to renovate that is the question. After receiving no responses to a request for proposals, members of the Wareham Redevelopment authority are wrestling with what to do with the town-owned building at 4 Recovery Rd.
During the Wareham Redevelopment Authority’s May 13 meeting, Director of Planning Ken Buckland reported that the town “did not receive any responses” when it asked for new proposals for the property.
Just a few months ago, officials thought the building would soon become a site for cannabis testing. But, ultimately, the company that hoped to conduct cannabis testing at 4 Recovery Rd. asked to terminate its lease.
A swan swims in the Wareham River behind Merchants Way. Photo by: Chloe Shelford
After discussions at multiple meetings, the Conservation Commission ultimately decided not to recommend two proposed amendments to the town’s wetland bylaws that will be up for a vote at Town Meeting on June 12.
The proposed amendments, which were brought forward by Director of Planning Ken Buckland, are Articles 10 and 11 on the Special Spring Town Meeting warrant.
The first amendment would remove the “No Activity Zone,” which requires a 50-foot buffer between the waterfront and potential developments, for projects in the Wareham Village One zoning district that have “water-dependent uses” or for projects that require “development or alterations of land previously altered with structure.”