MetroWest495 Biz

store, Boston Ski + Tennis, and Boston Interiors all moved in, occupying about 24,000 square feet. Then, in November 2014, Glowgolf, a mini-golf establish - ment, opened in the 26,000-square-foot space formerly inhabited by Circuit City. All told, Senie estimates Bay State Commons has seen a net gain of about 50,000 square feet occupied over the last five years or so. Today, Bay State Commons is also home to the only Ted's Montana Grill and Stein Mart store in New England, along with a Panera Bread, Boston Sports Club, GNC, DeVine Wine & Spirits, TD Bank and Boston Interiors, among others, as well as a host of restau - rants and a public park. Riverbridge Are there lessons to be learned from Bay State Commons? In addition to being a Parkview resident, Senie is also general manager of Riverbridge, a mixed-use development to be built in Berlin. The project received a $1.5-million MassWorks Infrastruc - ture Program grant in 2013. Senie says all permits and approvals are in place, and the shovels should go in this spring. Homewood Suites by Hilton and a daycare center have signed on as tenants already. Two-hundred and five apart- ments will be constructed. The project is on 26 acres at the South Berlin rotary, adjacent to the Solomon Pond Mall; 88 acres of the site will remain undevel - oped. But when it comes to timing and substance, Senie sees his project as very different from the development where he lives. "They're not apples to apples," he said. "Riverbridge [with the hotel and 204 housing units] is more a place to sleep, and Bay State, with only 44 housing units, more a place to dine and shop." Bad rap? "There is a perception that there is a lot of vacancy," said Malloy, the West - borough town manager, of BayState Commons' retail space. Part of that, he stated, comes from instances like Linens n Things leaving a large storefront vacant. Though the entire chain of national stores closed — including a shop in Sturbridge — it still seems to resonate as a black mark on Bay State Commons in the court of public opinion. But Senie says any notion that Bay State Commons is not filling up space is not a fair assessment, especially if you're going by the number of tenants or open units, and not by the square footage leased. "It doesn't look as successful as it is," he said of the development. The Boston Sports Club gym, for example, is a large facility, at around 20,000 square feet. Due to its location at the eastern edge of Bay State Commons, on a second floor above Stein Mart, "no one knows it's there, unless you're a member," he said. Roche Bros. also takes up a lot of square footage, he noted. Matthews said the range of square footage within the units also offers "hid - den amenities" that can only be seen by visiting. As an example, he cites the Starbucks inside the Roche Bros. store. Grocery store wars Schradieck, of the Westborough design review board, said another blow came in 2011, when Wegmans opened in Northborough Crossing. Dress Barn, The Paper Store and BJ's Wholesale Club left Westborough for Northbor - ough. They were supposed to have come to Bay State Commons. "That hurt this business," said Wa- terman, of Waterman Design. But now, Schradieck says, competi- tion has proven to be good for everyone. It forces stores to keep their prices com- petitive and offers variety to shoppers. "For years, all we had were two Stop & Shops" in Westborough, she noted. "Each one has its own niche," she said of Roche Bros. and Wegmans. Roche Bros. is not a huge superstore like Wegmans, but it has a nice feel, with fresh, quality items and great architec - ture, she said. Schradieck feels that Bay State Com- mons got a check in the plus column, however, when it switched the prop- erty's leasing agent to Colliers International. Listing agent Todd Alexander is a local agent who has roots in the community, she said. (Alexander did not return calls or emails for this story, nor did Bay State's listed owner, Phillips International Holding Corp. of New York City.) Opportunity abounds Bay State Commons has faced a unique set of circumstances. But its challenges are certainly not causing MetroWest developers to shy away from similar projects. Southborough developer Howard Grossman of Grossman Development Group says the time for mixed-use develop - ments is here. His group is converting the former Spag's property on Rte. 9 in Shrewsbury into a retail, res - taurant and housing site with 100,000 square feet, anchored by Whole Foods. Work begins this spring. Bay State Commons is similar to his project with an anchor supermarket and restaurants creating a good draw to the center, he said. But Lakeway Commons — as it's called, will be more transit- focused — as it's located on a major road. The Worcester Regional Transit Authoritywill have a bus stop at the site, providing "connectivity" with UMass Memorial Medical Center workers. For Grossman, any mixed-use project with retail and residential components, creating a "village-type, urban, yet walkable feel, without Boston prices," will be in demand as long as there's a need. He's actively looking at Worces - ter County sites for future mixed-use projects. The need, said Senie, will be there, due to more corporations locating in MetroWest. "All that open commercial space isn't there anymore," he said. "[Employees] need housing. They need places to eat and shop." Forward march Despite its bumps in the road, a com - mon factor between Bay State Com- mons and any mixed-use development has to be successful town collaboration. Waterman said Westborough had a united team behind the project all along. "They didn't want another industrial user," he said. "They wanted to create new zoning and were great working with us." Bay State Commons appears to be making its mark on the Westborough downtown, creating a niche as a focus for foodies, as well, say Malloy and Schradi - eck, with Sachi Japanese Steakhouse and Tavolino joining Panera and Ted's Mon- tana Grill. "They keep the place busy in the evenings," Schradieck said. Waterman added that the Berlin or Northborough developments are tough to compare to Bay State Commons, as they have, or will have, more destination shopping sites with bigger stores and more variety. "They are pulling from a regional audience," he said. "This is more local." n MetroWest495 Biz | February 2015 19 905 Hartford Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 tel. 508.842.1213 • www.elevationee.com Before After Before After CUSTOM RENTAL GLOBAL GRAPHICS EVENTS PORTABLES UPGRADE YOUR SPACE • CORPORATE OFFICE DESIGN & INSTALL M A P / C O U R T E S Y A 2013 map of Baystate Commons from listing broker Colliers International shows several retail spaces were open for leasing. Some of that space is now occupied.

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