Redstone plan to go before Planning Board
Published on February 6th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA - The town's Planning Board will deliberate later this month over a proposed Redstone facelift that would bring in an L.A. Fitness Center to anchor the largely vacant retail space near the old Ames building.
According to Main Street attorney Steven Cicatelli, representing Redstone proprietors S & R Weiner Associates, the shopping center redevelopment proposal is scheduled for Planning Board hearings on Feb. 27.
"With Ames leaving at the left side of the shopping center, my clients had difficulty leasing that space to another tenant," said Cicatelli. "We definitely need another anchor tenant at the southern portion of the shopping center."
"We're very anxious to move forward. We feel that this is a very important tenant," the Main Street lawyer added.
As originally reported by the Stoneham Independent last March, the Redstone renovation plan calls for redeveloping the Ames building in order to accommodate a 55,000 square foot L.A. Fitness Center.
Previously, Cicatelli had indicated that the old Ames building would be razed and a new structure built to house the high-end exercise facility, but the tenants now plan on renovating the existing space.
The current CVS pharmacy, located nearby the plaza's Radio Shack, would also shift over to a new storefront, to be erected in the spot where the old Ground Round restaurant and Eastern Bank branch stood.
The commercial property owners also hope to attract two new tenants to the old Cherry Webb spot, likely another retail establishment and a restaurant, based upon plans first unveiled last spring.
Marshalls plans to expand towards the rear of the property, in the parking lot area behind the plaza near Shaw's supermarket.
According to the Main Street lawyer, the newest redevelopment proposal differs significantly from a previously doomed proposal to push the grocery store to the front portion of the retail space.
That proposal, which also included a CVS relocation, sat before the Planning Board for nearly a year-and-a-half, before it was ultimately pulled off the table by S & R Weiner Associates last year.
In particular, the planners voiced concerns over traffic associated with the proposal, particularly since concrete vehicle counts and figures hadn't been provided.
"Not really," responded Cicatelli, when asked if he felt that traffic would be a major sticking point for the new proposal. "We're going to be submitting a traffic study in a few days that will show that traffic might improve."
"[With a fitness center] traffic will actually be spread out over the course of the day, so we really don't see any negative impacts," he added.
The town's Conservation Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will also need to weigh in on the plan, due to the site's proximity to wetlands and a request to alter the signage for the retail center.
"It's conceivable we could start this project in the summer. That would be the best scenario," the local attorney said, when asked what the preferred construction timeline would be.
"We have quite a few meetings at the end of this month. We would hope the Board of Appeals would make a decision on [Feb.] 21. But the Planning Board, I'm sure, will continue the hearing, so we can get them additional information," explained Cicatelli.
The town's Board of Selectmen will also get the opportunity to weigh-in on the plan, should it obtain a special permit from the Planning Board.
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