The City of Amesbury is taking a significant step toward transforming a portion of the former Amesbury Elementary School site into new housing opportunities and public amenities. As part of a land use and redevelopment assessment process administered by the Office of Community and Economic Development, the Mayor has submitted council bill 2025-082 requesting to authorize the disposition—by sale or lease—of approximately 4 acres of the 14-acre City-owned parcel located at 24 South Hampton Road in accordance with Massachusetts General Law c. 30B, sec. 16.

The proposed order would enable the creation of no more than thirty-seven (37) principal residential dwelling units across the parcel, including up to thirty-six (36) units on the main 4-acre portion and one (1) single-family dwelling unit on a 13,000 SF area fronting Rowell Street. The remainder of the site—approximately 10 acres—will remain under City ownership and be reserved for future use such as public parkland, drainage infrastructure, and other general municipal purposes. The plan includes the demolition and redevelopment of the former Amesbury Elementary School facility, with all demolition, disposal, permitting, and redevelopment to be carried out at the sole expense of the selected developer(s).

Conceptual Rendering

 “After careful consideration of the housing needs of the community against the economic, recreational, and design implications of redeveloping this property, I believe the proposed concept plan strikes a fair and equitable balance for the abutters, the surrounding neighborhood, and city taxpayers as a whole.  The proposed density is consistent with other recent projects in the neighborhood and the financial implications of this project should be sufficient to cover the high cost of removing the existing buildings and structures, make improvements to the abutting city-owned recreational amenities, and provide the city with needed sales and tax revenue”, said Nicholas Cracknell, Director of Community and Economic Development 

The mayor also introduced a council bill 2025-083 seeking to amend the Amesbury Zoning Map, proposing a change to the zoning designation of two portions of the former Amesbury Elementary School property. The amendment would rezone two areas from Open Space Conservancy (OSC) to Residential – 8,000 SF (commonly referred to as R-8) to support the proposed future housing opportunities. The site is proposed to be rezoned to R-8, consistent with adjacent zoning, allowing for single-, two-, and multi-family dwellings under a Planned Unit Development – Special Permit issued by the Amesbury Planning Board. The development must also comply with affordable housing requirements outlined in the City's Zoning Ordinance. As outlined in the council bill, the proposed zoning amendment affects two distinct portions of the city-owned site. One, approximately 4 acres (180,000 square feet) with 475 feet of frontage on South Hampton Road, extending roughly 350 feet deep from the road and another, approximately 0.3 acres (13,000 square feet) with 90 feet of frontage on Rowell Street, extending about 125 feet from the street. 

Conceptual Rendering

“Conversations about the re-use of this property started prior to my administration due to the new elementary school project which centralized our grade schools to Lions Mouth Road. Since then, I’ve heard from many people about their vision for the South Hampton Road site. Over time the future of this space has come into focus, and I believe this is a fiscally responsible and community-minded plan", said Mayor Gove. "We are removing the costly burden of maintaining an obsolete structure while unlocking new housing options that are similar to the surrounding neighborhood and returning land to the tax rolls. This is also about smart, balanced growth. We’re thoughtfully preserving a significant portion of the land for public use while inviting responsible redevelopment to serve today’s housing needs.”

Note:

These renderings are conceptual and are presented by the Office of Community & Economic and Development (OCED) as preferred development scenarios, preserving a portion as open space and a possible future playground area. Any actual plans for the site would be presented by a private developer at a Planning Board meeting and would be open to public comment. To keep updated when Planning Board agendas get posted, you can sign up to receive notifications here: https://www.amesburyma.gov/list.aspx#agendaCenter