College's growth pains neighbors
MILTON -- For nine years, Paul S. Andreani enjoyed living in his modest Cape Cod home on Brush Hill Road in Milton. The house was nestled in the woods, shielded from the neighboring campus of Curry College by trees and a fence.
Then, without warning last summer, Andreani said, contractors for Curry College cut down the trees to make way for a large parking lot.
In early March, the college demolished a house it owned next to Andreani's property and began construction of a 2½-story, 170-student dormitory. Andreani's house, which is perched on a hill, is now surrounded on three sides by the college.
''My property was unique," said Andreani, a veterinarian in Canton who lives with his third-grade son. ''It was like an English garden. I took care of it myself. There were woods next to me. Now it's awful. I feel I'm part of the Curry campus now."
The 1,800-student private liberal arts college on the edge of the Blue Hills is in the midst of a building boom that has stretched the borders of its 132-acre campus.
To accommodate an enrollment that has doubled in the past decade, Curry has purchased about a half-dozen adjacent single-family homes, and converted most of them to offices or dorms.
The college's growth has boosted its reputation and strengthened its finances. At the same time, it has sparked anxiety among residents on Brush Hill Road, one of the most desirable sections of Milton.
''Curry College is on a finite footprint," said Milton Selectman Charles J. McCarthy. ''When they move outward, they have the potential to cause disruption."
Other residents of Brush Hill Road have lamented the loss of the wooded buffer between their homes and the college. And in recent weeks, residents of Prince Street, which is about a mile from Curry, have complained to town officials about noise at an off-campus house where students live.
Fran Gately, a college spokeswoman, said the dormitory under construction next to Andreani's property will help to avoid problems like those on Prince Street by making housing available on campus.
The 41,000-square-foot dorm should be ready for occupancy by the fall, according to Gately, who described it as an attractive building with brick veneer. ''It will reflect some of the architectural characteristics of the stately homes in the neighborhood," Gately said.
She said the college's empathizes with Andreani but has complied with all town zoning and building regulations.
Curry officials have talked with Andreani about purchasing his house, but no agreement has been reached.
Andreani recently put his house on the market for $750,000. He said he has had no offers.
Brush Hill Road runs in a loop from Route 138, leaving Blue Hill Avenue near Boston's Mattapan Square and rejoining it near Milton's border with Canton. A 2-mile stretch in the middle, including the section near Curry, forms one of the most picturesque areas in the suburbs south of Boston. It has the feel of an old country road, rolling past large homes, many built in the 18th and 19th centuries. A section of Brush Hill Road is an official historic district, and the town's second oldest house, dating to 1670, is on the street.
Andreani's home, at 874 Brush Hill Road, is about 100 years old.
Since 1998, Curry College has built three dormitories and a child-care center on its campus. Last year, the college rebuilt its football field, installing artificial turf and new stands. Gately said the college has no other building projects on the drawing board, but added, ''We would certainly continue to evaluate the college's needs."
She said the college also is not interested in acquiring the 14-acre property of St. Pius X Church, which the Boston Catholic Archdiocese is closing, directly across Brush Hill Road from Curry.
Curry president Kenneth K. Quigley Jr., who was hired in 1996, has directed the college's growth by expanding the school's academic offerings and hiring new faculty. The college also has stepped up its marketing.
Milton Town Administrator David A. Colton said he and the Board of Selectmen have asked Curry officials to keep the town informed of its expansion plans. Initial meetings have gone well, he said.
''Curry College is growing," Colton said. ''The town needs to start paying attention to this because there will be growing pains."
Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com. 