The buyer for the Andover-Newton campus is not yet identified, but it is said that the property has not been sold to a developer and will remain an educational campus. This announcement was sent out today to the Andover-Newton community from President Martin Copenhaver:
Dear Friends of Andover Newton,
Grace and peace to you in the various settings in which you serve.
Here is an announcement regarding the sale of our campus:
Andover Newton Theological School has reached an agreement with a respected foundation to purchase its historic property in Newton Centre. The foundation has deep ties to the region and a longstanding commitment to education and, while the foundation is not prepared at present to announce its full plans for the property, its intent is to maintain the campus for educational purposes.
The foundation prefers that its name and identity not be disclosed until the transaction is completed but has asked us to assure the community that the campus is not being sold to a real estate developer and to reiterate that the foundation intends to maintain the campus for educational purposes — as it has long been utilized.
Andover Newton is proud of its home in Newton Centre and our decades spent here continuing the proud tradition of the nation’s first seminary and graduate school. We are confident this foundation will carry on the tradition of educational excellence that has been set here and look forward to working with it, with the community, the city and our neighbors to ensure a seamless transition.
Of course, this is a bittersweet announcement to make: bitter because we are leaving our beloved campus, yet sweet because of the ways we now know the campus will be used and loved into the future.
Although we will continue to offer classes in the Boston area through the 2017-18 academic year, this is our last year on our current campus. On the afternoon of May 23, 2017 (the Tuesday after graduation), we will say farewell to our campus through worship and gathering in community. I hope you will plan to join us. It promises to be a tender and important time.In the meantime, I will keep you abreast of developments in our transition.
In faith,
The Rev. Martin B. Copenhaver
President, Andover Newton Theological School
That campus is one of the most magnificent contiguous properties in Newton, and it sounds like the city might have dodged a bullet by keeping it out of the hands of a residential developer. The amount of residences that property could support would have warranted building at least one new school building to accommodate the influx of new students. The downside of course is that an institutional use generates $0 in property taxes for the city. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the Dover Amendment would allow the new institutional owner to construct buildings that may be inconsistent with our zoning regulations and the best interests of the community. For now though, I’ll view this sale as a positive thing.
The Dover Amendment may not apply. The announcement doesn’t say if the foundation is a religious organization.
The Dover Amendment exempts both religious and educational instutions from certain zoning restrictions
My bad – I didn’t remember that BC’s a twofer.