Thanks for the info. Anything new regarding the Stop and Shop/Marshalls eyesore?

I'd love to see a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in there. Let's all e-mail their website and request it.

Yeah !!! I think this town could use a store like Trader Joes or Whole Foods.
Qualiy food & a healthy chioce food store...

Whole Foods would be nice. Concerned if Trader Joe's would work. Trader Joe's in Tyngsboro just move out of Massachusetts to down the street into Nashua, N.H. on the Daniel Webster Hwy., it's also 1/2 hour away from Chelmsford. The other closest Trader Joe's is in Burlington., MA.

No retailer is going to open a new location that will just cannibalize sales from existing stores. There is no way a Trader Joe's would work with stores already in Nashua, Acton, and Burlington. As for Whole Foods, with stores already in Bedford and Andover, it would make much more sense for them to open in the Nashua area.

Stop n' Shop owns the plaza and will not allow tennants that might provide competition for their own store. They also are unlikely to sell it to their competition so it is unlikely that anything will happen til the Marshall's lease expires since it is free cash for them.

Trader Joe's moved to NH because they wanted to sell beer and wine and could not in Mass. As far as what do people want in the old Stop and Shop location, the best bet is to contact the two chains and let them know. Sue, as far as competion neither store is really competition and faced with no rent or rent, I think they chose to collect rent. In fact it is not unheard of to for a landlord, if approached by a new tenant to let the old tenant out of the lease if the new tenant is going to sign a long term lease. It would be nice if out town manager and the rest of the town managament had some imagination as to the approach instead of just saying the same old thing. And by the way, why do we have a big empty building in the middle of town next to fishbones, same thing, become pro-active. Try working with the owners to find tenants.

A city planner for Nashua announced last week that Whole Foods is scouting locations in their city now.

Sue,
Again, what is the solution then. Let them stand vacant and eventually fall down or actually use some imagination. Maybe some redevelopment money. Why not work with both landlords to allow for some tax relief in exchange for upgrading the sites and then renting them out. I am getting tired of hearing excuses and to why things can't be done. If the Sovereign bulding can not be upgraded then tear it down and put in parking with some nice landscaping, turn it into a green area do something. As far as the lease for the stop and shop space, how much longer will they be collecting rent. At some point the competition if it is any, will be worth the collection of rent. I also do not buy the competiton issue anyway. They built their new store right across the street from their compeition. If they were so worried they could have upgraded the site they were in and stayed where they were.

It's pretty clear that the town management does not have any imagination! What food market would want to come to Chelmsford after what happened to the Meat House? A nice, upscale food store trying to also sell beer and wine and they were shot down. Alpine Butcher Shop moved to the Lowell/Chelmsford border so they could sell beer and wine. Since The Meat House debacle and Harrington influence, I purchase all my alcohol in New Hampshire now and haven't darkened their door since.

Hello everyone -There are two different parcels that we are trying to address. The Stop & Shop Plaza is owned by one of their corporations so they will never sell or rent to any competition such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. There have been discussions with them for several months but as Sue Carter correctly pointed out, they can take their time since Marshall's is still paying rent. The Odd Fellows building on Chelmsford Street is owned by a trust that is connected with Sovereign Bank. We have been trying to reach someone out there (West Coast) for a few years but they have been unresponsive. We are now trying to contact them through Sovereign locally to see what can be done with that property. It is important to remember that both properties are privately owned and while we have some suggestions and concepts that we are discussing with Stop & Shop, they will have the final say. The property is assessed at $9,000,000 so eminent domain is out of the question. I don't know if this added anything to the discussion but I hope so.

Jon,
No one said anything about eminent domain. I as I said above, have a hard time buying the compeition arguement, they chose to open up right across the street from their competition and fought for years to do just that. As a lawyer Jon, you should know that a landlord presented with a tenant that is willing to enter into a long term lease, may also assume the old lease as well and then extend. The downtown area has a blight with the big old white empty building and also has a whole empty shopping center. What I have not seen from either you or Sue is how long is the Marshall lease and what are the plans. It would seem if the town found a tenant, they could approach the landlords in both cases.

Jon,

On several occasions you and the Town Manager have stated that the town has engaged S&S with your ideas. What are they? I have not seen them published. Also, when Chelmsford granted S&S the variances to build across the street from an existing market (a simple request you recently denied a package store) what assurances did the town seek for the center parcel? Did we seek assurances when we granted the permits for the hideous new CVS? Please tell me we gained some leverage.

Mark Dolat

Jon and Sue,

Some good questions, silence...

Fran,

See above, they already operate across the street from their largest competitor and fought to do so. I would bet if you did a traffic study you would find that the old location would draw from a different population. Also I would argue that Whole Foods is not really compeition. Fran, you are just trying to hard to defend the town managment and their lack of effort and imagination.

Jon,

You missed the point. Has anyone done a traffic study. You keep saying that they do not wish to rent to a competitor but the Market Basket and and Hanniford are closer to their new location. At some point they will not be collecting any rent. When is that? Also when is any business such as a Job Lots worse then an empty eye sore?

Jt - S & S knew they would be going head to head with Market Basket when they built the new store. That doesn't mean that they want another supermarket in the center. There are several months left on the Marshall's lease.
We now have a committee chaired by Selectman Jim Lane dedicated to creating a Master Plan for the Town Center. Again, we have no control over how long the owner leaves the property vacant but we are working with them. While I have no problem with Job Lots, I do not think that it is the best fit for the town center and from the discussions I have had with many people, they would prefer another type of business there. Finally, if the property owners do not make changes to the building that would require appearing before the Planning Board, traffic studies are not relevant for any new intended use.
Again, I would much prefer meeting with any of you than engaging in this back and forth. I will be available Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at the Java Room for anyone interested.

Jon,

I have no time this week. I did not mean traffic studies in the sense you meant them. My point is that a store in that location attracts an entirely different group of shoppers. Trader Joes and Whole Foods do not compete with traditional grocery stores either. Why as it taken so long to create the committee. I also do not know what several means either, 4-6 months or 12. In any event, they will come upon us soon.

Check out this story from Patch about Stop and Shop .... seems about the same,

http://reading-northreading.patch.com/articles/whats-next-for-the-former-stop-shop-site

Ocean State Job Lots or Christmas Tree Shop would be welcome by many of us who do not travel out of town to shop very much. Both stores offer values on gourmet & non-gourmet food items often.

Paul,

They wanted to be near a competitor, what difference does it make the Market Basket fought them. Are you going to try an argue that they did not spend money to deal with the issues raised by Market Basket. When I said they fought to do there, they could have withdrawn in the face of opposition, they did not, thus they fought to be there. The fact is they moved to their competition, they could have moved somewhere else. My point remains, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is not compeition and would not only draw a different shopper, but from a different population. If you were not trying so hard to be a know it all, you would see the point.

People, S&S did not move to their current location for the sole purpose of removing market share from Market Basket. They are currently sitting on a major highway, bordering a town with a population 4 times that of chelmsford, they were able to build a top of the line beautiful up to date store. From what I hear they use this store to gauge new concepts for future stores. There old location was a ghost town there is no possible way that area of Chelmsford could support a large chain or box store, and dont tell me people will come from Billerica and Carlisle. Lets ask these big box stores what there average traffic is through their doors on a daily basis , I bet it is over a tousand a day. If you owned a repair facility that specialized in BMW's and owned a vacant property near by you would not rent to someone who specializes in Saab's. this property will remain empty and an eyesore until they are no longer receiving monies towards rents from Marshalls. But you all must remember that they also receive rents from the new CVS, Friendly's and the bank. There is more than just the building they own the whole property. We need to move on and concentrate where we have the ability to control and make better. IT IS PRIVATE PROPERTY AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE, THEY LIVE IN EUROPE AND COULD CARE LESS ABOUT REVITILIZING OUR CENTER.

Mark,

I will say this one last time, if you think Trader Joe's is compeition for a grocery store, try do your family food shopping for a week there. At some point they will not have the same level of revenue and will have to consider options.
Andrew,no need to shout, we can read. I do not think anyone is under the impression that the property is not privately held. The owners may not care, but the town can help them care. I am still wondering why all we hear is it is out of our hands. Incentives and other options can be used to help the owners come to a conclusion that a tenant is better than a mostly empty site.

I want a Home Goods!

When was this property "sold" by Chelmsford to Stop and Shop? Forgive me, but I'm puzzling over why a town center in..anywhere..could ever be actually OWNED by a foreign supermarket chain?? So when was the property sold to Stop and Shop and why? Is this normal, in itself?? And if it were to come down to sheer numbers, and just because it is a curious question, how much money would it take to buy the !!TOWN CENTER!! property back - from said foreign supermarket chain?

Here's a novel idea, although it might be unpopular for those wishing to have an income property. Why does every open space have to be filled up? Chelmsford Center is already congested, not just with cars, but with buildings. I would love to see a green park there with benches and paths and gardens. Where the elders from Summer Place could walk and enjoy the outdoors for three seasons a year. Where people from the Boston Road area can take a stroll with baby carriages and small children. What a better way to replace the green area taken up by 9 North Road. Chelmsford Center is getting so congested that we can't breathe.

Thank you, Mark, for the update. No, I did not know that divisions of land around the center were privately owned. It's a lot of land and it was worth asking.

In as far as my xenophobic obsession, it does not exist. I have heard the word "foreign" used in the context of why it is taking so long to reach a decision many times on this site. It seems to be thought that a big, "foreign" company would not give too much consideration about inconveniencing a small, New England town and their shopping plaza. This is arising from the proximity of where Stop and Shop is operating from, as a financial group, and this seems to be across the Atlantic ocean - so yes, I should think this makes them "foreign."

In addition, your comment might also give the impression that I harbor an unkindness or aggression towards foreign countries. I am a first generation American on both sides of my parentage, and both of those parentages hail from Europe - across the Atlantic. So that zinger might have worked, if it weren't so ill informed and "closed minded." ;)

You just seem be a bit high strung, Sir.

The dentist should do quite well at that location.
If money was plentiful for me, I would open a bed and breakfast at the Good Fellows Building!
I would love to see The Mill Store at the Marshall's site.

Or is it called the Old Fellows or Odd Fellows building? :-)

A bed and breakfast would be really pretty there, Irene. :) Especially if it boasted a decent restaurant/bakery either in house, or adjacent to the establishment. However, selfishly - must say I'm DARNED tired of having to travel so far to buy groceries. What has happened in the Marshall's Plaza is just nuts. They say that the town leadership is becoming more aggressive in their efforts to close on some sort of decision there, and I just hope it comes soon. This town is too pretty to have that much space looking like that. It's been vacant so long that by now, it's taken the look of some of those abandoned strips that you see in the more urban areas closest to Boston. Always depressing - always a shame. I grew up in Cambridge, so I am, literally, "gritting my teeth" every time I walk by. Some of the newer people here, like myself, moved out of the urban settings to get away from sights like that. However, it's a matter of patience and hope, I suppose. Something will have to go there, eventually.