Shrewsbury

The abandoned Edgemere Drive-In on Route 20 in Shrewsbury is set to become a $45-million mixed-use project. The Shrewsbury Planning Board approved Edgemere Crossing at Flint Pond on the 68-acre site. It includes a Market Basket and 250 apartments.

Most of Central Massachusetts' biggest communities saw single-family home sales fall or remain flat last year while median prices continue to rise, according to data released Wednesday by The Warren Group, the Peabody-based real estate market tracker.

In a nationwide survey of how long people stay in their houses, Worcester ranked 10th with an average of 17 years. That’s up from nine years a decade ago, according to research by Redfin, the national Seattle-based real estate brokerage.

Emily's Interiors, a Framingham interior design store, will open a second location in Shrewsbury this spring.

Pier 1 Imports, the imported home furnishings retailer said up to 450 of its 942 stores are under consideration for closure, but it did not name specific locations. The Texas–based company operates Central Massachusetts stores in Bellingham, Framingham, Leominster, and Shrewsbury.

While condo prices remain cheaper than single-family dwellings in most Central Massachusetts communities, rising condo prices can keep first-time homebuyers on the sidelines.

More retail stores are on the horizon, and their success will depend on being able to find enough shops to carve out a niche in an industry always increasingly dominated by Amazon and other giants.

When Central Massachusetts companies look to fill software, programming or research jobs, they’re increasingly looking to foreign labor under an immigrant work program called H-1B.

Office vacancies in Worcester increased slightly in the third quarter, but that didn’t stop rents from rising.

Check out the latest promotions and hires in Central Massachusetts.