A rundown and underutilized 200,000 s/f mill complex and vacant land in New Bedford is gone, replaced by a modern supermarket - with more businesses to come.
Through the efforts of developers Mark Dickinson and Mark White, the century-old Fairhaven Mills structure has given way to a 95,000 s/f state of the art Market Basket supermarket complete with its own 'country café,' set to open in early fall.
And next year, Phase II of the 14-acre Riverside Landing redevelopment project will bring office, retail and restaurant tenants to the site. The $35 million project signals the start of a rebirth of the Coggeshall - Mitchell - Sawyer District of New Bedford.
In all, some 200 construction jobs have or will be created, and ultimately, the site will be home to over 300 permanent jobs. A planned community boathouse and green river walk promises to reconnect the community with the Acushnet River.
At a groundbreaking in 2009, New Bedford mayor Scott Lang said the project would transform a primary gateway into the city, provide enhanced economic opportunities, improve the quality of life and employment potential for residents, and welcome and attract visitors. Matthew Morrissey, executive director of the city's Economic Development Council, commended the teams from the private sector that worked with state agencies and city departments to bring jobs to the city.
Throughout the planning process, developer Mark Dickinson, president of Dickinson Development Corp. of Quincy, and his partner Mark White, president of D. W. White Construction Co. of Acushnet, insisted that the new development incorporate the architecture and materials reminiscent of New Bedford's rich history.
Among aspects of the project that the developers used to make the new project blend with the surroundings, and to be reminiscent of the old mill and the area's rich history:
* The Market Basket has towers with flat roofs
* Red brick and granite exterior walls
* Masonry and glass lines that imitate those of the mill
* Granite 'seat walls' along property lines are made of granite removed from the Fairhaven Mill building. The walls' short height will be an inviting place for shoppers and neighbors to relax.
* Market foundation replicates the mill's appearance
Development managers at Retail Management & Development, Inc., (RMD) of Tewksbury, primary developers for the Market Basket chain, worked with architects Prellwitz Chilinski Associates (PCA) of Cambridge and the rest of the project team to incorporate New Bedford's architectural style and history.
RMD's Joe Pasquale said Market Basket avoids the cookie-cutter approach. He said the hope is that the new store's Community Café will become a gathering place for area residents with its offering of prepared foods, reminiscent of the old neighborhood eateries. The New Bedford store will be the 60-store chain's second in southeastern Mass. (The other is in Raynham.)
The Fairhaven Mills complex had suffered years of degradation, fire damage and vacancies. Phase I was helped through a Growth Initiative Grant ($1.3 million) from the state that provided public infrastructure improvements including: reconfiguration of new ramps from Rte. I-195; an improved, safer signalized intersection; reconstruction of Coggeshall, Mitchell and Sawyer Sts.; and a construction of a new pedestrian-friendly Riverside Dr. connecting Coggeshall St. to Sawyer St. A series of remediation tests and tasks was completed in keeping with state and federal guidelines.
Phase II of Riverside Landing, slated for completion next year, will include a total of 50,000 s/f: a 40,000 s/f two-story mixed-use building near the Market Basket being built by RMD; and restaurant and bank outparcels on the Coggeshall St. side, being developed by Dickinson Development.
This is one of four 'brownfields' projects overseen by Mark Dickinson and the Dickinson Development Corporation's project team over the past decade. Mark Dickinson's projects have successfully overcome environmental, engineering, permitting and construction issues, and succeeded on many levels, and have won awards and accolades. When completed, investment in the four projects - in Reading and New Bedford, Mass., and Dover, NH, will have exceeded $200 million. Ultimately, the projects will have created many hundreds of construction and full-time jobs, bringing millions in new tax revenues to their towns, and transforming over 77 acres to productive uses.
Dickinson Development's
Riverside Landing
Benefits to New Bedford and Southeastern Mass.
* Approximately 300 construction jobs
* $500,000 purchase price paid to the city for two parcels
* Creation of about 300 full and part-time jobs (at full buildout)
* Creation of public access to Acushnet River via park / riverwalk and boathouse
* Developer's environmental remediation: Estimated $500,000 - $1 million
* $225,000 estimated annual real estate tax revenues to New Bedford (forever)
* No cost to New Bedford taxpayers