BREAKING: Selectmen Pick Bradstreet Proposal

Selectmen voted 4-1 Monday night to declare a developer's plan to purchase and renovate the Bradstreet School property as a "preferred development."

And that with Oakgrove as second-place. So it looks like the Bradstreet School will come down.

The Hearthstone plan maintains the streetscape and brings in more retail and office space and fewer residential units than the previous option. It calls for an enlarged plaza area and retail space along Main Street, 9,500 square feet of office space on the second floor, 6 townhouses and 6 flats, and 73 total spaces.

The second-place developer, Oakgrove Residential Inc. -- which is currently working on restoration of mill buildings along the Shawsheen River in Andover -- presented an option to keep the Bradstreet School building standing and even spreading the Main Street retail buildings apart to make the school building a focal point.

"I was very impressed with Heartstone Realty, option 3, because it's the only one that takes Saunders Street into consideration," Selectman Tracy Watson said. "And what really impressed me was their vision for the future of the area."

Watson also said she liked Oakgrove's plan.

Selectmen heard several proposals from four different companies, some of which called for the demolition of the school and some of which sought to preserve the building.

"I haven't heard from one person under 70 who wants to keep the school, but I haven't heard from anyone who wants traffic on Saunders Street," Selectman Don Stewart said.

Selectman Rosemary Smedile said she liked Oakgrove's plan because it keeps the Bradstreet School.

This does not solidify a contract. Town Manager Andrew Maylor must now meet with Hearthstone for negotiations.

Last year, Town Meeting voted to allow selectmen to sell the property. Since then, the property has been the subject of debate, with the Historical Commission calling for the building to be preserved and Saunders Street residents expressing concern about traffic that could result from development there.

Complete story will be on Patch tomorrow.