Woburn Village: The Woburn Mall Re-Imagined
In the summer of 2017, the Woburn Mall was quietly acquired by national retail developer Edens. Since the acquisition, Edens has been working closely with the City of Woburn’s planning board to craft a phased re-development within the recently created “Smart Growth Overlay District”. The revamped 23-acre property will include 200,000 square feet of retail space (including a 38,000 square foot movie theatre), 350 residential apartments, and an outdoor park-like setting. Much loved retail tenants such as Market basket, TJ Maxx, and DSW will retain their presence in the new open-air development. Traditional malls have been struggling to compete and in recent years developers are responding with lifestyle centers such as Market Street in Lynnfield, Legacy Place in Dedham and Assembly Row in Somerville.
The Vale: Leggatt McCall’s New Project Will Redefine Woburn’s Presence in Boston’s Shadow
Since 1964, The Atlantic Gelatin factory on Hill Street had defined Woburn’s reputation as an industrial community in suburban Boston. In 2016, Kraft Heinz (through prior acquisition of Atlantic Gelatin) sold the 107-acre site abutting Route 93 to Leggatt McCall with the opportunity for mixed use development. Leggatt now has the permits in hand to begin construction on a mixed-use project consisting of 600,000 SF of class A office space, 275,000 SF of life sciences space, town homes, apartments, and senior living. Recently dubbed “The Vale”, this exciting mixed-use development will provide the area with much needed housing as well as laboratory space for the ever-growing life sciences industry. Delivery of the project is expected for 2021.
Woburn Landing: A 10 Acre Site Once Home to W.R. Grace Now Home to Amenities at the Crossroads of Routes 93 and 128
Acquired by Madison Holdings in 2014, the 12-acre site on Washington Street has been transformed into a new development that now features a Chick-fil-A restaurant, a 110 Grill, a Red Robin Restaurant and a 235 room Homewood Suites by Hampton Inn. The state has invested roughly $1.5 million in roadway fixes including the widening of Washington Street near Olympia Avenue and the I-95 off-ramps to help mitigate any traffic issues caused by the influx of commercial space in the area.