Could Braintree church be saved from demolition? What's next with housing plan
BRAINTREE – Plans for the redevelopment of the St. Thomas More property are starting to move forward.
The planning board will hear a request to rezone the St. Thomas More Church property on Tuesday night while the historical commission considers delaying the demolition of the church building.
Developer George Clements, who has an agreement with the Archdiocese of Boston to buy a 16-acre site at Hawthorn Road and Elm Street, is seeking a zoning change for a proposed 48-unit development for owners age 55 and over. The proposed complex would include 15 detached houses, 13 townhouses and 10 duplexes along with a community center. Both the church and the former school building would be torn down, and Clements said he would donate 6 acres of land to the town.
Without a change in zoning, Clements could build 26 five-bedroom houses on the land, which would require developing the entire property.
The planning board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Cahill Auditorium of town hall.
How does Chapter 40B factor into this?
Clements said that by deeding the woodland to the town, it would help protect the town from further developments under Chapter 40B, the state's affordable-housing law, since conservation land is excluded from calculations of land available for development.
The land area devoted to affordable housing is one way to reach "safe harbor" from further comprehensive permit applications under the state law.
What could happen to the former St. Thomas More Church building in Braintree?
On Monday night, the historical commission held a hearing to consider a pause in tearing down the church building under the town's Demolition Delay ordinance. Under the ordinance, the commission can delay for up to four months the tearing down of any building that is at least 75 years old which is deemed to have historical significance so an attempt can be made to preserve the structure.
The church was built in 1940, expanded in 1963 and underwent renovations in the 1980s. It has not been used for regular religious services since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago and formally closed in November 2022.
The commission will schedule a tour of the building and make a decision at its April 1 meeting.
Developer says turning St. Thomas More into housing is too expensive
Clements said converting the church into residential units would be "cost prohibitive" due to all the renovations involved. He said the location of the building would block proposed traffic improvements. He added that he was willing to take another look at a residential conversion.
"We are willing to work with the historical commission and other boards in the town to get the best project," Clements said in an interview after the commission meeting.
Jean O'Brien Boback, who lives three houses away from the church, would like to see the building preserved.
"It's an iconic building in Braintree. I don't want to see it demolished," she said.
Boback suggested the building be used as a community center for the proposed development.
Melissa Santucci Rozzi, the town's director of planning and community development, said one of the archdiocese's conditions on the sale is the building could not be used by another religious organization.
Who is this developer, George Clements?
Clements has invested in several developments in the town in recent years.
He redeveloped the former Cochato Club on Elm Street a few blocks away from the St. Thomas More property into townhouse condominiums. He bought the former First Baptist Church on Washington Street with an eye toward redevelopment before selling it to a Buddhist congregation. In 2022, he bought the Dunkin' Donuts University property on Granite Street.
Leo Keka, the owner of Alba restaurants in Quincy and Hanover, plans to convert the former Dunkin' Donuts University on Granite Street into a restaurant and a function hall. Keka plans to name the restaurant Scutari, the Italian version of the name of his Albanian hometown of Shkodër.
Why did St. Thomas More Church close?
The decision to close St. Thomas More Church was made because the building was no longer needed to meet the spiritual needs of local Catholics, a spokesman for the Boston archdiocese said.
For the past nine years, the church has been part of a collaborative with Sacred Heart Church in Weymouth Landing. The collaborative has taken on the new name of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, said Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the archdiocese.
In addition to the church, which has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than three years ago, the parish's former elementary school will also be torn down. The school closed in 1970, and was later used for religious and special education programs but has been vacant for several years.
Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: St. Thomas More Church in Braintree faces demolition for housing
