$100M+ Northborough Development On Track
In the past few years many projects have fallen victim to the dwindling economy as developers reigned in their investments and held off on new construction, but that wasn't the case at Northborough Crossing, said Douglass Karp, an executive vice president for New England Development in Newton.
The Northborough Crossing development is planned to be a $100 million, 1 million-square-foot, 175-acre commercial and residential development when it begins opening to the public next year. New England Development is scheduled to build about 600,000 square feet of open-air commercial space that is expected to house the first Wegmans Supermarket in Massachusetts, along with a BJs Wholesale Club and a Kohls, according to the developer.
Avalon Bay Communities Inc., a nationwide residential development firm, is about half-way through constructing 382 housing units that are also included in the development.
"This is going to be a real powerhouse in the region," said Karp, who has also overseen the development of other major commercial projects in the region, including the Solomon Pond Mall and surrounding development near that site.
Location, Location, Location
The project is located just South of Route 9 along Route 20 in Northborough and property owner Kevin Giblin of Brendan Properties in Southborough said the site is an ideal location to attract commuters. Even though Route 9 is already inundated with strip malls and commercial complexes, Giblin said he's confident in the project's success.
"The demographics are perfect for this," he said. "The Western MetroWest area in Northborough and Southbroough is underserved in retail. Unless you want to travel into Auburn or Milbury, there aren't many places to go."
Meanwhile, the Hopkinton, Berlin and Shrewsbury areas, he said, have a high concentration of highly-educated and well-paid residents. While there are Stop and Shop Supermarkets to the east and west of the new development, as well as a new Price Chopper being built in Shrewsbury on Route 9, Karp said he's confident Wegmans will be a draw for visitors.
The company, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., is a supermarket that includes a cafe, pharmacy and general supply sales. Wegmans, according to its website, has 76 stores around the country and also has plans to open a store in Westwood, accoridng to Jo Natale, director of media relations for the family-owned business. She said Wegmans plans to employ about 600 workers at the 135,000 square-foot store, which is expected to open in the fall of 2011.
A spokesperson for BJ's Wholesale club said the company does not confirm or deny new store openings until they are announced by the company.
Giblin said the economy has slowed the project down and it's about two years behind schedule, but construction is ongoing now and Karp said he hopes to open some of the commercial sites next year.
Meanwhile, Avalon Bay Communities has already begun its $63 million investment in the development, dubbed Avalon Northborough.
William McLaughlin, an executive vice president with Avalon, said construction of the first phase of residential units began in 2008 and 164 units opened in October. That phase is about 97 percent occupied, he said.
Construction is underway for another 219 units, which range from town houses to apartments in mid-rise buildings, he said. About 140 of those are already complete and the remaining 79 will be done by the end of October. The buildings should be complete by next year.
"We were ready to move on the residential development before the commercial projects and it's been going well," McLaughlin said. "I think commercial construction was hurt a little more than the rental businesses, so we were happy to sort of pioneer the site."
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