MetroWest495 Biz

MetroWest495 Biz | October 2015 21 The booming city of Marlborough will enjoy yet another expansion of an existing corporate tenant. Raytheon's Marlborough facility is just a few miles west, also on Boston Post Road. The majority of employees, which totaled around 800 in Sudbury at the end of August, will be shifted to Marlbor- ough, while some will be relocated to other Massachusetts locations. The move is expected to be complete by the end of 2016, according to Michael Doble, a company spokesman. Raytheon officials declined a request for an interview. "As part of our ongoing efforts to optimize facility utilization and realize cost savings that enhance affordability and competitiveness, we are closing Raytheon's Sudbury facility and will consolidate our radar development efforts into Raytheon's Marlborough location," Doble said in a statement. Doble said consolidating in Marl- borough "will support the speed of in- novation in naval radar and integrated sensors" for government customers. To the moon Ground broke on the Boston Post Road complex in 1958. Early on, Ray- theon's Sudbury operations developed technology used in NASA's Apollo missions in the 1960s, perhaps most notably the Apollo Guidance Com- puter produced between 1963 and 1969, according to company materials. Designed at the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology and developed and engineered at Raytheon in Sudbury, it guided the Apollo astronauts to the moon and back. Over the years, projects at the Sud- bury facility also included missile and rocket guidance; U.S. Navy shipboard systems; early warning radars and surveillance; and ground and satellite communications. The facility also underwent multiple name changes over time, starting out when it opened in 1960 as the Surveil- lance and Sensors Center, and ending as the Raytheon Engineering Facility. Filling the void That leaves the building on Boston Post Road, or Route 20, in Sudbury up for grabs. Raytheon is marketing it for sale, and there have been rumblings that a housing developer is interested in purchasing the site, something that town officials and the company have said little about. Sudbury Town Planner Jody Kablack told the MetroWest Daily News last month that a developer was in talks with Raytheon to develop the site, but in an interview with MetroW- est495 Biz, Kablack didn't confirm that statement. However, plans to build an affordable housing development at the site were presented by developers National Development and Avalon Bay on Oct. 7, the MetroWest Daily News reported. Earlier this year, the Sudbury Board of Selectmen made its wishes for the site known following a number of joint meetings with its planning board. This came after Raytheon made it known it intended to sell the site when the Sudbury closure was announced last summer. In a public letter to Raytheon offi- cials, the Board of Selectmen informed the company they'd examined the development potential for the site and suggested that the property is well- suited for mixed-use residential and retail development. Selectmen: Affordable housing, please The Sudbury selectmen made the agenda clear, stating that the town would like to see a project that "reflects the nature and character" of Sudbury, while also creating enough housing to reach the state's requirement that 10 percent of a community's housing meet affordability guidelines. With an affordable housing gap of 240 units in the affluent commu- nity, the selectmen said a project that is developed entirely as affordable housing would assist the town with its goal of preventing "undesireable" 40B affordable housing projects that may circumvent town planning and zoning. "It is our strong preference that any housing component be developed entirely as rental housing under a state- recognized subsidy program so that all units count towards this requirement. This will entail that no less than 25 percent of all units are affordable under the state's definition," the selectmen wrote. They added that age-restricted housing, such as assisted-living facili- ties, would be welcome as they would minimize the impact on town services. Doble, the Raytheon spokesman, did not comment on plans to sell the site. Bob Haarde, a member of the Board of Selectmen, said the selectmen's vi- sion is a mere suggestion. "Raytheon, at the end of the day, can sell it to whoever they want," Haarde said. Haarde said a mixed-use develop- ment would require a zoning amend- ment for residential use, but if the company were to sell to another corporate user, the town would not get involved. He was dubious about the prospect of Raytheon finding another corporate user for the site, though he said it would certainly be beneficial. He estimated the town's tax base is about 95 percent residential. Raytheon is, by far, Sudbury's largest taxpayer, generating close to $600,000 in revenue per year for the town. The Route 20 site is one of the few in town that could ac- commodate a corporate tenant, Haarde said. Local reaction "We're very sorry to see Raytheon go. Hopefully whatever party buys that land will be as good a neighbor as Raytheon," Haarde said. After nearly 30 years working in the area, Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Susanne Morreale Leeber said she's become most familiar with the com- pany's Waltham and Sudbury sites. Leeber attended the opening of the newer Marlborough facility about a dozen years ago. At the time, she said the company was producing gyroscopes used on ships that maintained satellite connections for constant surveillance. Raytheon, which serves on the chamber board, had communicated with Leeber about plans to move to Marlborough in order to reduce over- head. Leeber admitted she was taken aback to hear Sudbury would be phased out. "I was surprised that they were go- ing to that," Leeber said, adding that the move will have minimal impact to employees, most of whom will now be working just one town over. n Business leaders rely on us for local business news. Subscribe today to receive bi-weekly issues in print and digital plus full online access! Smart, Engaging, Insightful. SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: www.wbjournal.com/getmywbj OR CALL: 845-267-3008 A company news- letter from 1970 shows the con- struction and completion of Sudbury's Raytheon building, which broke ground in 1958 and was complet- ed in 1960.

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