Groton – The developer under contract to buy the former William Seely School property is considering a multi-family housing development for young professionals and possibly a hotel for the 15-acre school site.

Mark Mancuso, a partner with Waltham, Mass.-based Kincora Development LLC, cited a market analysis of Groton and recent announcement by Electric Boat to add thousands of jobs as two key reasons for residential development.

“We think there could well be a need and a market demand for more housing in Groton,” he said.

Electric Boat expects to expand its workforce by 3,900 over the next 14 years, due to work on the Virginia-class submarine and Ohio-class replacement programs. This year alone, the company plans to hire 1,600 employees in Connecticut and Rhode Island, including 800 in Groton.

While Kincora is known locally for commercial developments including the Waterford Commons shopping center, Mancuso said he does not believe that's the best choice for the school site.

He cited a market analysis done earlier this year which found many young professionals are choosing to live outside of town. Nearly 80 percent of Groton’s workforce commutes from outside Groton, according to the report by New York-based consultant Camoin Associates.

The analysis found that residents ages 25 to 34 make up more than one-third of Groton's population and are beginning to earn substantial income, but many can’t afford or don't desire a single-family home. They want apartments or condominiums with easy access to restaurants, retail and other amenities, the report said. It suggested mixed-use developments that combine housing and retail.

But Mancuso said Thursday, “I don’t envision that for this market. I really do think that a quality residential project and or a hotel component makes for an excellent transition,” because the area abuts a residential neighborhood. The site also offers easy access to Route 12, Interstate-95 and offers potential water views, he said.

The future of the Seely School property has been at the center of a struggle between neighbors of the school and those who view economic development as vital to Groton’s future.

Mancuso said Kincora is still trying to determine how many units the site could accommodate given wetlands and other issues. The company hopes to have a master plan completed within 60 to 90 days, he said. It would then begin the approval process and engage neighbors in a discussion, he said.

The property is zoned now for single-family or two-family residential homes. The zoning would have to be changed to build condominiums, other multi-family housing or a hotel, said Kevin Quinn, Groton town’s building and zoning official.

Mancuso said the company continues to have discussions with abutting property owners whose land has better access to Route 12 and would be better suited to retail.

Gretchen Chipperini owns a roughly 5.5-acre property adjacent to the school and has been negotiating with the developer. Chipperini also owns the Super 8 Motel property, which Mancuso said earlier Kincora would be interested in.

d.straszheim@theday.com