In 2022, Waltham Mayor Jeanette McCarthy unveiled a major development plan for the site of the Fernald State School which included an extensive recreational facility spanning across the northern portion of the Fernald campus. Although this development has been in the works since the city purchased the land in 2014, there has been little progress made on the site. With the lack of maintenance, there has been an uptick in vandalism in recent years and the city of Waltham has been unable to keep it under control. There has also been a lack of transparency from the city about the progress of the development program.