A developer wants to build 334 apartments on a long-vacant 20-acre parcel at 300 Minuteman Road. The project could bring ten times the site's current tax revenue and add 84 affordable units to Andover's housing stock.

Hanover Co. presented the plan to the Select Board on Tuesday, Sept. 15, seeking town support for a Local Initiative Program (LIP) application, sometimes called a "friendly 40B." The board took no vote. Members said they would submit additional questions before a second reading.

Hanover bought the property earlier in 2026 after a previously approved pharmaceutical manufacturing project failed to advance, according to Andover Man News. The company plans three buildings of four and five stories. Twenty-five percent of the apartments, or 84 units, would be reserved for households earning up to 80% of the area median income.

The Eagle-Tribune reported that the developer is seeking to revitalize the vacant Minuteman Park site through the LIP process.

Hanover estimates the finished complex would bring in $1.5 million a year in property taxes. The vacant parcel generates about $150,000. Regional Development Director David Hall presented those figures at an earlier Select Board overview on Tuesday, April 14.

The proposal also sets aside roughly two acres for future commercial development. Planning and Land Use Director Paul Materazzo told the board that adding residents could help attract businesses to an area where foot traffic drops after office workers leave for the day.

Not everyone on the board was ready to embrace the shift. Member Kevin Coffey raised concerns about converting commercial and industrial land to housing, noting that those properties have provided substantial tax revenue for decades. He asked for more information about Hanover's existing 248-unit apartment complex on Shattuck Road, called The Point at Merrimack River, which the company built in 2018.

Vice Chair Melissa Danisch requested a review of possible archaeological resources tied to the former Shattuck Farm before construction begins. She also flagged traffic, saying at the Sept. 15 meeting, "Traffic already stinks."

If the Select Board supports the LIP application, it would go to the state for project eligibility review. State approval would then send the proposal to Andover's Zoning Board of Appeals for a detailed comprehensive permit review. The Department of Public Works has requested an updated sewer capacity analysis and more detail on repairs Hanover would fund.

Hanover estimated the apartments could house roughly 33 to 50 school-age children, based on its experience at other developments. Town Counsel Doug Heim said enrollment effects generally are not a factor the Zoning Board of Appeals may consider in its comprehensive permit decision.

The Conservation Commission unanimously denied a related procedural amendment on Tuesday, April 21, involving the timing of a conservation restriction recording at the property, according to commission meeting minutes.

The Select Board's second reading is expected Monday, Oct. 26. No date has been set for a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing.