Planning Board Gets First Take At New Look For Old Stop & Shop Site

The reviews from the Planning Board were universally positive as they were given a first look at what will take the place of the old Stop and Shop plaza across from the Adams Library on Wednesday night that will be known as "Chelmsford Commons."

Members of the plaza's new ownership group, Winstanley Enterprises of Concord, will integrate the feel of the library's brick design into an upscale retail mall while also reducing the plaza's commercial square footage, add trees to the parking lot and clean the brook area opposite from Summer Street, which will be near a patio section for a possible restaurant tenant.

Adam Winstanley, principal of Winstanley Enterprises, noted that the project would be comparable to another shopping center his company rehabilitated in Norwich, Connecticut, with the final footprint down to approximately 42,000 square feet in total, including a 25,825 sq. ft anchor tenant, likely a fitness center, and the former Stop and Shop being "sawed in half" for smaller tenants.

"There aren't really a lot of tenants in the 60,000 square foot range that could work here," said Winstanley, who noted he lives only 15 minutes away and comes to Chelmsford frequently. "My plan here is to lose some size and scale things down to orient toward smaller tenants so it fits into the downtown area and is attractive."

Members of Winstanley's team also hoped to learn from lessons gained in the development of the new CVS, which will also be a tenant of Winstanley Enterprises along with the already existing Friendly's and Bank of America.

While the process is still in its early stages and members of the board offered friendly suggestions such as adding bike racks and a possible awning over the storefronts among other ideas, the mood of the board to what was presented could be defined as ecstatic.

"At first sight, I love it, and you don't hear that from me very often," said Planning Board member Bob Joyce. "I think as said, after looking at the CVS thing and seeing what they were looking for, they've done a really good job at (the proposed site plan)."

Winstanley's proximity to Chelmsford as a Concord resident also helped the board's positive outlook on the plans for the vacant property.

"I'm really excited about this project, it's upscale, it'll change the whole way the area looks. I'm thrilled," said Planning Board chairwoman Ann McGuigan. "Having someone of your caliber own it, run it, live 15 minutes away from it, that's huge."

Although no official date was set for a followup hearing, the next presentation to the board was described as sometime in mid to late June according to Winstanley attorney Phil Eliopoulos.