Berlin Says Yes To $60M Mixed-Use Development
A rendering of the planned Riverbridge project in Berlin.
When town residents first heard about plans by a Westborough developer to build a 470,000-square-foot mixed-use development on empty farmland in town, most people were against it.
"They just wanted to keep the farmland the way it is," said Ronald Vavruska, chairman of the Berlin Planning Board. "But then we realized that nothing really remains the same for too long, so we better get the best we can out of it."
But despite that initial resistance, in December town residents voted by a greater than two-thirds majority to approve zoning changes that will allow the development.
Developer Matthew Senie, along with his brother Christopher, officially launched the development, named Riverbridge, last week. The massive new complex, on 114 acres, will border on the Solomon Pond Mall near Interstate 290 and will be built over the next five years. The project's budget is approximately $60 million.
Local Control
One major selling point for the town is that the more than 84 of the 115 apartments and condominiums proposed for the development will be sold at affordable rates - that is for residents to make 80 percent of median income - which will push the town over its 10 percent threshold as required by the state's 40B affordable housing law.
"That's not insignificant," Vavruska said. "After this project, we will have much more local control."
If a town does not have at least 10 percent of its housing stock classified as "affordable" by the state, developers can circumvent local control and get projects approved by the state.
About 130,000 square feet of the development will be for commercial uses, 115 residential units will take up about 167,000 square feet and there will be a 175,000-square-foot assisted living and retirement center. About 64 percent of the 114 acres Senie purchased will remain open space.
"This will be a nice village setting that really will fit in well the needs of the community," Senie said.
The Worcester Business Development Corp. has been working with Senie as a consultant for the project, according to Craig Blais, executive vice president of the WBDC.
"We're really excited about this project," Blais said. "We think it's the right project at the right place. As the market rebounds, this will be in a great geographic area for young professionals to live and work and enjoy brand new retail space."
The brothers Senie have worked in development before, mostly developing condominium projects in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Senie said he hopes to begin construction in the fall. The first phase will include building a gas station and convenience store. Over the next five years the commercial, residential and assisted living facilities will be constructed.
Riverbridge is not the only major construction project in town.
On the other side of Berlin, on the Hudson border, SullivanHayes Cos. Northeast of Farmington, Conn., is in the midst of constructing Highland Commons, a 900,000-square-foot, $130 million commercial complex. A Lowe's Home Improvement store has already opened on site and a BJ's Wholesale Club is set to be completed by the fall. Those two projects will represent about a third of the development, said Jed Hayes, a principal at SullivanHayes.
He's not worried about the Riverbridge Project across town, though.
Riverbridge, he said, is intended to serve the local community with smaller retail stores and residential units. Highland Commons is attracting larger, box stores.
"I think the two projects will complement each other nicely," he said.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments