Shrewsbury Looks For New Blood To Help Lift Rte. 9 Retail District
PHOTO/Jacquelyn Gutc
Reinvestment in the former Spag's, which became a Building 19 in 2003, is important to Shrewsbury, according to the town's principal planner and economic development coordinator, Kristen Las.
Last month, Building 19 announced it was closing its Shrewsbury location on Route 9, effectively ending the final chapter of the storied Spag's store that locals loved for its discount deals for since 1934.
Anthony "Spag" Borgatti, who died in 1996, was a mentor of Building 19 founder Jerry Ellis, who strove to revive the Spag's magic after buying it from Borgatti's daughters in 2003. Though Building 19 opened 11 stores, the former Spag's couldn't hold its own.
“It's hard to live up to the memories of what was once great,” said Bill Eloviz, president of Hingham-based Building 19. “(Borgatti) was way ahead of his time and it's hard to compete with those memories, and I think people wanted it to be Spag's and it never could be.”
Now, most of the 19 parcels of property that, together, was once Spag's, and which Elovitz said total about 14 acres, are available for sale or lease.
“Right now, we have no plans for developing,” Elovitz said. “So that means if somebody wants to develop it, everything's open. Whatever makes sense.”
The town has long wanted to see the property become more vibrant, since it hasn't been fully used as Building 19. It's looking for something similar a bit farther down Route 9, at Fairlawn Plaza.
“The reinvestment of the (former Spag's) property is very important for the town, not only for the tax base but for the overall health of the town,” said Kristen Las, Shrewsbury's principal planner and economic development coordinator. She said the town wants to see people stay on Route 9 to shop.
Elovitz said there has been interest in the site, but that none of the deals that were offered came to fruition. Now, he wants to sell all of the property together, with the exception of some housing units near the commercial property that Building 19 purchased from Spag's as part of the 2003 deal.
Michael C. Jacobs, principal at Worcester broker Glickman Kovago & Co., said he represents about five national retailers and found that the biggest challenge for the property is that it has limited Route 9 frontage, with most of the land sprawled out behind it.
Jacobs said retailers have little tolerance for taking risks and want to make sure accessibility, visibility and footprint are ideal for the prototypical developments they build.
“There's no doubt about it that the whole property needs to be redeveloped,” he said. “There's zero interest from retailers, especially national retailers.” Elovitz said he doesn't have specific ideas about what would be best for the site, but he's happy to help the town find a good fit.
Just a little farther east, the Fairlawn Plaza saw busier days before losing Price Chopper in 2010 as its anchor tenant when the grocery chain opened a new store a few miles east.
A Chili's that's part of the 9-acre site remains open. The mostly abandoned plaza behind it has three other eateries: Imperial Buffet, Indian restaurant Udupi and Fred's Chinese Food.
Property owner Samuel Adams, who redeveloped Worcester's Lincoln Plaza several years ago, declined to comment on his plans for the Shrewsbury property. However, documents presented to the town's Zoning Board of Appeals in December laid out plans to demolish the 85,000-square-foot plaza, built in the 1950s, and construction of a 230,000-square-foot office and retail building in its place. The building would be L-shaped, two stories tall in one portion and three in another. According to meeting minutes, the plans would also increase the number of parking spaces from 495 to 700, with 220 under the building.
Jacobs said Adams' plan to redevelop the property is more ideal because national retailers, who could fill the Price Chopper space, are much more interested in the nearby and recently revamped White City plaza. “Without an anchor, retail strips don't usually succeed that well if it has a bunch of small tenants. It's a tough redevelopment,” he said.
But he does view the redevelopment of that and the Spag's site as critical to the town's tax base and the aesthetics of Route 9. “It would certainly benefit all involved,” he added. “I think there's more retailers interested than White City can accommodate.”
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