Unicorn park eyed as 200-room hotel site
Published on December 10th, 1997
STONEHAM, MA - A rezoning proposal which could pave the way for a new hotel and office building in Unicorn Park at the Stoneham/Woburn line received the good graces of the Woburn Planning Board this week and will now head to the City Council for a final vote.
If the Woburn City Council approves the rezoning from residential to office park, officials associated with the hotel and office building projects said they could be back before the Planning Board next month with the plans for the two distinct buildings off Montvale Avenue on the Stoneham side of Route 93.
The hotel is expected to be in the 200-room range.
No specific hotel names were listed, with Joseph Tarby, a lawyer with the Woburn offices of Roche, Carens & DeGiacomo, representing the applicants simply stating negotiations are ongoing with "several major hotel" chains.
The rezoning of 500 to 700 Unicorn Park would be the new office building.
"There will be tremendous benefits to the city of Woburn," Tarby said while outlining the rezoning proposal.
The benefits come mainly in the form of new tax revenues. Tarby estimated the new office building would bring in about $450,000 a year in new taxes, while the hotel would bring in just under $300,000 in property taxes and another $230,000 in hotel/motel taxes if it maintains a 70 percent occupancy.
"It is almost $l million (a year) in new taxes," Tarby said of the proposal for the new hotel and office building.
In the late 1980's, Stoneham Town Meeting voters rejected a plan to construct a Sheraton hotel at 92 Montvale Avenue, directly across from the entrance to Unicorn Park. The proposed Stoneham hotel would have generated $500,000 in property and room taxes for the town. The site was later sold and is the current home of a high-rise office building.
A couple of years later, a second proposal to raze Stoneham Arena and build a hotel in its place never made it past the planning stage when the town officials decided to build a par three golf course behind the Arena. The developers of the proposed "arena hotel" had promised to build a swimming pool and skating rink behind Stoneham High free of charge to the town for the right to use the town land.
The new Woburn office building being proposed would be five stories high.
If the rezoning is approved, the applicants would have to come back before the Woburn Planning Board for approval of the individual projects.
Tarby listed the numerous major tenants already in the park, including BellAtlantic, Gillette, and Marriott, adding the vacancy rate is currently at only 3 percent.
Tarby noted the park sits on 33 acres of land with five multi-tenant buildings already in place.
At the public hearing on the matter before the Planning Board, no one spoke either in favor or against the request.
Questions from the Planning Board centered around the property backing up to Salem Street. The concerns were about possible access to Salem Street but Unicorn officials said this would not be the case.
A second concern was traffic.
Tarby said the traffic impact on Woburn roads would be minimal since cars basically come from Route 93 right into the park.
"There will be no traffic impact?" member Arthur Tourkantonis asked.
"Not in Woburn," Tarby replied.
Tourkantonis responded, "I will be really interested to see the traffic studies. You've got to know East Woburn."
At the close of the hearing, the Planning Board voted 6-0 on the rezoning proposal with member Edward Pasquarello not present.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!