Fall River council reviewing plan to sell old school for housing
Fall River Boys & Girls Club’s John Cuillo honored as city ‘icon’
John Cuillo was recognized as a “Fall River Icon” and presented an Axis bat and citation from local legislators to commemorate his impactful 52 years with the Boys and Girls Club of Fall River.
- The former Davol School may have found a buyer.
- A proposal from developer John Ferreira is under review by the City Council Committee on Real Estate.
- The property, valued at $355,000, is slated for residential development.
- Fall River reclaimed the property from the Flint Neighborhood Association, ousting a food pantry in October 2024.
FALL RIVER — The development of the old Davol School at 112 Flint St. is under review by the City Council’s Committee on Real Estate, now tasked with evaluating a potential buyer’s plans for the blighted property.
According to official request for proposals documents made available to the City Council, Contractors Landing LLC, the business of developer John Ferreira, has an eye to turn the three-story brick building into 16 one- and two-bedroom apartments.
City Councilor Shawn Cadime will chair a review committee, alongside Councilor Bradford Kilby and other members to apply a standard scoring matrix and evaluation criteria that, once completed, will return to the Committee on Real Estate for a vote. If the subcommittee favors Ferreira’s vision for the former school, the matter will go before the full body to approve the proposal. The matter is tabled while the review is being carried out.
With a new City Council coming on in January, Kilby, who will not be returning, took a moment at the Dec. 18 Committee on Real Estate meeting to “wish this developer luck, and hopefully he will fulfill what he’s going to fulfill.”
Developer calls Davol School a ‘diamond in the rough’
The 30,000-square-foot property, which has traded several hands over its colorful history, was inspected and appraised by Assessor Mark Freitas at $355,000 at the end of April.
Ferreira has a record of repurposing old, established buildings around the city. In a letter to the city’s Purchasing Department, he calls the Davol School a “diamond in the rough,” believing the property has “great potential as a market-rate apartment building.”
Director of Planning and Engineering Daniel Aguiar conferred an opinion that the former school could feasibly be renovated into apartments while meeting the current apartment or “A-2” zoning requirements without the need for zoning relief.
According to GIS maps, the total property value rests at $394,400.
The Purchase and Sales Agreement was referred to the City Council Committee on Real Estate with a Council vote during the Nov. 25 meeting.
City Councilor Andrew Raposo expressed his concern that the value of the property “is much higher” than the bid.
Paperwork submitted with Ferreira’s proposal application shows that he hopes to obtain all necessary permits and carry out environmental remediation by April 30.
By Sept. 1, 2027, he aims to obtain a certificate of occupancy that will allow renters to move in.
Ferreira holds extensive experience in developing Fall River
Ferreira’s development proposal and bid reference three projects undertaken in the city — the rehabilitation of Stone Day School at 2501 S. Main St. in coordination with Fall River Public Schools; the renovation of 20 units at Ships Watch Apartments at 4001 N. Main St.; and the renovation of three units at 46 Murray St. with the oversight of Director of Community Development Agency Michael Dion.
Since 2020, Ferreira has served as the vice chairman on the Fall River Planning Board and has sat on the Community Preservation Committee.
He served eight years with the Somerset Planning Board, and between 1995 and 2000, worked for the Somerset Housing Authority. He is an acting Fall River Planning Board representative for the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District.
Ferreira’s portfolio includes several banks, airports, restaurants and hotels.
Davol School, deemed a ‘decommissioned public school property,’ ready for new life
Built in 1892, the Davol School was said to be a structurally sound at the time of its appraisal as a “decommissioned public school property” for which the city has no apparent need.
In November 2024, the city regained ownership of the former school for $1, taking it back from the Flint Neighborhood Association by exercising a reverter clause in the original sales agreement. The old Davol School had been home to the Gates of Hope food pantry until the property was transferred.
The neighborhood association purchased the property for $5,000 in 2014, and promised to put a “community center” there, but failed to develop it as a mixed-use building. Affordable apartments and veterans’ housing were mentioned as possible used for the building in previous testimony from Carlos Cesar, who headed Flint’s neighborhood association before running for mayor in 2025.
According to older reports, it is unknown what percentage of asbestos, if any, is present in the building.
In March, Rebekah Pontes, the city’s purchasing agent, together with the city’s real estate attorneys, identified a request for proposals as the more feasible option rather than an auction for what appeared to be a “viable” property in the middle of a neighborhood.
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