CoffeeContingencies t1_j6nx99q wrote
Reply to comment by Infamous-Client-2528 in High Density Housing Development Near South Shore Plaza Receives Pushback by amos106
There’s an elementary school right behind where they want to put these. And the school system is already strained (and teachers working without a contract!)
AboyNamedBort t1_j6o4r2p wrote
Oh no an elementary school! Can't have housing near one of those! Everyone knows putting a new building by an elementary school causes 100% of those kids to start doing hardcore drugs immediately!
Squish_the_android t1_j6ofr8o wrote
That's not the concern.
Dense housing in good school districts attract a lot of families that want those schools.
The problem is that apartment complexes like this don't pay in as much as property taxes as other kinds of housing and by the nature of their size they increase the number of students by a significant amount over a short period of time.
Most school districts aren't sitting on a ton of excess capacity.
It is a valid concern that most towns fail to deal with well.
Edit: Also the teachers working without a contract comment is noteable. It's another school district playing hardball with the teachers union because they think the union won't vote to strike. It's a sure sign of a bad school committee that doesn't want to increase school spending.
man2010 t1_j6ojq9v wrote
180 of the 495 housing units in this proposed development would be over 55 units. Those people will be adding to the town's tax base without adding children to the school system.
Squish_the_android t1_j6omhys wrote
At a rate that's lower than other forms of housing.
Also that leaves 315 units for potential families getting dumped into one school district.
I'm not saying it can't be dealt with, just that it's a concern.
man2010 t1_j6on010 wrote
I don't think very many families would be piling into the studio/1bd apartments in these buildings, which leaves only some 2bds. It's not a genuine concern so much as it's a common way for towns to block new development.
CoffeeContingencies t1_j6oh2j7 wrote
Braintree schools are already bursting at the seams with kids. With 500 apartments there will certainly be more kids entering the system. The concern is that Braintree doesn’t currently have the capacity for it.
But also, it is literally within feet of that school. The town closed an access road from the plaza to the school in the early 2000’s because of traffic concerns then. Added people could make it an issue again
man2010 t1_j6ojyem wrote
180 of these units would be for people over 55, meaning they wouldn't be adding children to the school system while they would be adding tax revenue to expand school capacity.
ik1nky t1_j6olp0g wrote
Not to mention the other building is all 1/2 bed units. I don't think we'll see many families in these buildings. Of course even if we did expect a lot of families, the project should still be built.
ik1nky t1_j6ol57o wrote
Looking at their enrollment numbers, it appears Braintree schools are down about 500 students from their peak in 2018.
CoffeeContingencies t1_j6ole9m wrote
I have kids in the district. The total numbers may be lower but that lower number isn’t reflected in the elementary school that this building is zoned in.
ik1nky t1_j6oly79 wrote
The data actually shows significantly reduced enrollment in the elementary schools.
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