Concord Councilors To Consider Employment Security Building Sale

CONCORD, NH — After many years of languishing and at least a dozen requests for proposals, plans, and rejected concepts, Concord may finally sell the former New Hampshire Employment Security building on South Main Street to a Massachusetts developer.

Limited information is known at post time but the Concord City Council will take up a proposal to direct City Manager Tom Aspell into a purchase and sale agreement with the Flatley Company, a Braintree, MA, developer with more than six decades of experience building office space and apartments. City councilors on May 10 will consider a resolution to spend $372,500 for hazardous materials abatement at the site. Councilors will also decide whether or not to direct Aspell to seek $172,500 from the state environmental services department's brownfields program and also use $200,000 in economic development reserve funds for the purpose, too.

Speculation about the building and its future use has been relatively quiet since August 2019, when the council voted against a multi-million dollar incentive package for an apartment building project proposed by Dol-Soul Properties, a consortium of developers spearheaded by Dolben Development of Woburn.

Dol-Soul was proposing 125 units of new market-rate apartments with a restaurant on the first floor. But the potential financial giveaway, for lack of a better term, of about $3.5 million, by the city, was too much for councilors to accept with some community members calling it excessive corporate welfare. City officials, however, countered that the financials added up and would eventually bring tax revenue to the city. Councilors needed 10 votes for the project to be approved but could only muster up six.

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• City Official Says Employment Security Project Financials Add Up
• Russell: $3.5M In Corporate Welfare In Concord?
• Washburn: I find it incredulous the Concord city council would hold a public hearing of contributing $3.5 M on a proposed development for the former Employment Security building.
• Former NH ES Building Developer Wants $3.5M More From Concord
• Concord Could Lose $1.3 Million On Former ES Building Sale
• Council Rejects Employment Security Building Proposals
• City Extends Employment Security Building RFP Deadline
• City to Charge for Parking in Former NH ES Lot
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During the past two months though, rumors have circulated around Concord that there was a buyer for the building.

On March 29, Matt Walsh, the city's director of redevelopment, downtown services, and special projects, said the property was still on the market — with the city continuing to discuss the parcel with interested parties.

Back in October 2012, the city moved to purchase the building from the state, after Employment Security moved to a new building on the former state hospital grounds. At least one nonprofit was reportedly eyeing the building but city officials preferred acquiring it to expand the tax base.

The city paid $1.575 million in November 2014 for the parcel which includes a building, parking lot, and a historic school, which is attached to the southern part of the parcel.

The building was weatherized and requests for proposals were issued. The first round of proposals — a dynamic 250,000 square foot retail, hotel, restaurant, apartment, and library complex proposed by ReARC of Vermont as well as library and retail space concepts proposed by Steve Duprey, Jonathan Chorlian, Eric Chinburg, and Walter Chapin, the president of Company C, were rejected by the city.

During the past seven years, many other proposals have been forwarded but none have reached the point of consideration by the council like the Dol-Soul or Flatley proposals. All during this time, the city has been using part of the parcel for parking.

Flatley is best known for redeveloping the Schrafft's candy factory in Charlestown, MA, which can be seen off Interstate 93, into office space. The company was one of the foremost leaders in the conversion of factory spaces into office complexes in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, the company has moved into the housing sector, acquiring apartment buildings and seeking new projects.

Flatley was denied a request to convert a technology center in Nashua into apartments this week, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. The company was also seeking to build a 260-unit apartment building in Rutland, Vermont, according to the Rutland Herald.

On April 12, U.S. Attorney John Farley filed a lawsuit against the company for violating the Fair Housing Act for not allowing a tenant in Nashua to have a dog, as an emotional support animal, in her apartment. Flatley, according to Farley, told the tenant she could have a support animal just not a dog. The tenant filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development which led to the complaint in U.S. District Court in Concord, seeking legal and monetary compensation.

Specifics about the proposal were not available at post time. Concord NH Patch will offer follow-up when the plans are available.

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