New Development Could Mean the End for Former Fire Station

The old firehouse’s days might be numbered with town planner Sharon Wason working on a request for bid proposals for the property along with the adjacent Keating Funeral Home land.

Speaking with the selectmen at a recent meeting, Wason suggested that there should not be a requirement for the future developer of the three-parcel property to keep the structure.

“With the firehouse you think of all the traditional firehouse conversions like the movie Ghostbusters, but this does not rise to that specialness that the people in town are in love with it one way or another,” Wason said.

Watson added that the firefighters that she spoke to said they wouldn’t even miss the building if it was torn down.

The selectmen overall, approved of the idea of letting a developer do what they please with the land as long as it complies with the zoning bylaws for the downtown area.

“For this site you’re going to have to think outside the box but the less restrictions you have the more proposals you’ll get,” selectman David Feldman said.

Selectman Jim DeVellis added that the location of the property, next to the Orpheum Theatre, makes it an attractive location for a restaurant to open up.

Wason said the town should aim to look at the tax revenue from the project and not just the land sale when looking at proposals for the property.

“This parcel is going to be the redevelop of the downtown area. We should give as much life to it as we can and hopefully a developer will come back with something that fits the common area,” selectman Ginny Coppola said.