Wrentham Parcels Primed For Development
Wrentham has added 20 acres of commercial property to its tax rolls by rezoning residential property on Route 1A near the Norfolk town line.
The land is owned by Luke Joannides of Burke Properties, the developer of nearby Shire Park, a 23-lot planned industrial park over the Wrentham town line in Norfolk. No formal plans for the 20 acres have been announced.
The rezoning was approved in April with strong support from the town, according to Dan Capone, who was hired by the developer to work on the land rezoning. Capone is with First New England Realty Group of Wrentham.
"It was the strongest plurality to rezone a parcel of land that anyone has seen in quite some time," he said.
The zoning will allow up to 300,000 square feet of development, with an estimated value of up to $40 million, Capone said. There have been talks with interested tenants, with uses ranging from warehouse to light manufacturing to office space.
While there are no definite tenants, Capone said he is optimistic about landing anchors for the development.
"These kinds of projects need long planning cycles and need to be thought out ahead as far as possible before actual implementation," he said.
The Wrentham Planning Board was in favor of the rezoning because the rezoning means less of a potential strain on town services, according to Patrick Moore, chairman of the board.
"...Commerical land doesn't cost the town as far as schools go, and generally speaking is not a police and fire drain," he said.
The property's location on the outskirts of the town and its access to the properties through Norfolk means there will be a low impact on other residents, he added.
"The Shire land rezoning was no a brainer," said Paige Duncan, Wrentham's town planner. The increased tax revenue also appealed to voters, she said. The commercial tax rate in Wrentham is 14, while the residential rate is only 12.
The site will access Wrentham town water and the buildings will tie into a Norfolk package sewer treatment plant.
Shire Park has done well so far, selling out half of its 23 parcels, according to Capone. The industrial park's lots are about 1.5 acres each, with smaller buildings compared to what will likely go up on the Wrentham parcels, he said.
Companies such as Lampasona Concrete Corp., CEI Boston LLC and Backlund Electric Corp. have all located in the industrial park.
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