Housing developer purchases former Father Holland School in Burrillville

BURRILLVILLE – The investor who recently purchased the former Pines Restaurant in North Smithfield for development of affordable housing is now the owner of what long served as a Catholic school in Burrillville.

R.P.A. Services, LLC purchased the former Father Holland School for $650,000 from St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church of Pascoag, according to a deed filed in the town clerk’s office this week. Cranston-based R.P.A. is owned by Richard Albanese, who bought the 7.5- acre former restaurant in the neighboring town just last year, with plans to establish at least 47 housing units.

The school, established in 1962 by Rev. Daniel Holland, closed in 2015 due to declining enrollment, with just 89 students attending.

Originally called St. Joseph School, it became Northwest Catholic Regional in 1978, and then Father Holland Catholic Elementary School in 1993. At its peak, the school served 240 students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, within 10 students of its maximum enrollment.

The 3.9 acre lot at 175 Sayles Ave. still holds the former school building, featuring some 18,000-square-feet of above grade space, along with a finished basement with an additional 5,149-square-feet. Town records note that the structure was built in 1962 and holds three bathrooms and a canopy.

The purchase was signed by Rev. Stephen Dandeneau, who serves as pastor of both the once affiliated St. Joseph’s Church, and St. Eugene’s Church in Glocester. It includes a right to first refusal for the adjacent property at 183 Sayles Ave. that holds the actual church, with the opportunity to match any future offers to buy that lot.

Albanese heard heavy opposition to his initial proposal for creating a 62-unit housing complex on his property at 1204 Pound Hill Road in North Smithfield, a woodsy lot surrounded primarily by residential homes and known for its white pine trees. His scaled-back plan includes 20 units inside the former restaurant, allowed by right under the state’s adaptive reuse laws and now under construction, with the potential to build 47 more if permitted.

The Burrillville lot is currently valued at $1.2 million according to town property records, and was previously run as a non-profit.