Groton in negotiations with developer for former Pleasant Valley School
Groton — The town is in negotiations with a potential developer for the former Pleasant Valley Elementary School property.
A public unveiling of the name of the developer and the redevelopment proposal itself for the site at 380 Pleasant Valley Road South, near Route 12, is expected within the next several weeks, Groton Economic and Community Development Manager Paige Bronk said in a phone interview.
The approximately 17-acre parcel, with four existing buildings on site, is zoned for multifamily residential, Groton Director of Planning and Development Services Jon Reiner said at Tuesday's Town Council Committee of the Whole meeting. Both water and sewer infrastructure are available to the property.
The Pleasant Valley Elementary School, built in the 1950s, had closed in 2017 due to budget cuts.
After marketing and showing the property, the town issued a request for proposals in August 2020, with responses due in October 2020, Reiner said. A selection committee of elected town officials and staff then unanimously selected a proposal to recommend.
Bronk said the selection committee recommended a preferred developer to the council, and the town will continue to finalize its negotiations with the developer. A sales agreement, once ready, would then come before the council for consideration and a vote.
Reiner gave a public update on the project at Tuesday's meeting, and the council held an executive session to discuss details of the proposal.
Reiner said the town understands the sensitivity regarding recreational needs in the neighborhood, and the redevelopment proposal addresses some limited public use on the property.
Bronk said, as with other excess properties, the town is considering the former Pleasant Valley School as a redevelopment proposal rather than a simple real estate transaction.
"We are doing our best to make sure the project blends well with the neighborhood and accommodates their needs as well," he said. "I think people will be fairly pleased."
Groton has several redevelopment projects in the works for former schools, including apartments slated for the former William Seely School.
The nearby Charles Barnum School will remain in use as a school and become an intradistrict magnet school starting in the upcoming school year.
The nearby Mary Morrisson Elementary School closed at the end of the school year, but Groton school officials said they plan to use the building for the robotics team and storage. The school officials said at this past week's Board of Education Committee of the Whole meeting that they will keep the building for an undetermined amount of time in case the elementary school enrollment grows and the district needs to open another school.
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