With the recent commitment to lease by New England supermarket leader Market Basket, Cornerstone Square is now under construction and gearing up for an October opening. "As premiere anchor for this 238,000 s/f shopping center located on I-495 at Exit 32, Market Basket will be conveniently positioned to attract an extraordinary range of local and regional customers," said exclusive leasing agent Dusty Burke of American Commercial Real Estate. Bill Marsden, Market Basket vice president of operations, thinks Westford is an ideal location for the grocery chain. "Westford enjoys a true regional presence, and with this new store, Market Basket will be able to further expand its product offerings to our loyal customers and give them an opportunity to enjoy a new and exciting shopping experience," he said. The site, comprised of 31 acres with 4,000 ft. of frontage at the intersection of I-495, Boston Rd., and Littleton Rd. (Rte. 110), was assembled by developer Robert Walker "to provide the area with a 'town center' environment, uniquely attractive and efficient for today's fast-paced, multi-tasking lifestyle," according to Burke. "At Cornerstone Square, people will enjoy 13 beautiful buildings for convenient shopping, dining, professional services and personal care." Walker, who has planned and built more than 40 commercial developments and achieved national attention for his innovative conversion of a portion of military base Fort Devens to a vibrant mixed-use "town center," emphasizes his passion for excellence. "We will open in October with a center that reflects the expectations of the 250,000 people in a 15-minute drive time for something truly special, with high quality businesses, great value, incredibly easy access and one-stop synergy." Cornerstone Square has approximately 100,000 vehicles passing by per day on its abutting roadways of I-495, Boston Rd. and Littleton Rd. (Rte. 110). Walker identified the site as a premier retail/office location years ago and began preliminary steps to develop the site in 2007. The process was interrupted with the onset of the 2008 economic downturn, so the project broke ground in the late fall of 2011, with an expected opening in October of 2012. Walker said his confidence in the project's success stems from two factors: solid residential demographics and a growing corporate high tech presence in the town of Westford. In addition, Cornerstone Square is located within one mile of three neighboring major hotels, a technical high school, a ski area, and two large child learning centers. "Westford is home to a high income, well-educated population of about 350,000 within a 20 minute drive," said Walker. "And with companies like IBM, Juniper Networks, Red Hat, Comcast, Sonus Networks and Goodrich committed to the area, we feel the proximity of our restaurants and retail to those residences and companies will make Cornerstone Square an important part of the fabric of this region." Organized within the site as a series of buildings of multiple scales, the development creates a "modern village" concept to support the diverse employment and consumer needs of the local community. Designed by Joseph D. LaGrasse & Associates, Inc., the architectural style of the project is meant to evoke the permanence of traditional New England structural design, along with the dynamic qualities of modern day retail and office space. The buildings will be detailed in a contemporary "Federalist" style, with the structures predominantly constructed in brick exterior with precast stone foundations and accents. The window and door openings will be enlarged to highlight each retail venue as an inviting storefront showcasing the activities within. Tower elements and undulating cornices will add to the "modern village" concept, while many lower roofs, sloped awnings and covered entries offer pedestrian scale, and will protect shoppers as they traverse the village Main St. and walkways. Another unique element of the project is the Walker's commitment to "Buy American." Republic Building Contractors, Chapman Construction, and engineering firm Hancock Associates are under a mandate from Walker to buy and utilize American made and manufactured products (barring significant cost increase or availability issues). "To date, the project is 98% American made and manufactured," said Walker. "It's important that we support utilizing products in our own country and we've found that by asking our contractors to do this, it's one way we can contribute to bettering our economy." Walker and Burke are very excited about their leasing progress. "Retailers and other professionals see the progress we're making on the site and are stunned by its presence," said Burke. "With hugely popular stores like Market Basket and Panera signed, and seventeen more local and national retailers committed, we are well on our way to being fully leased with businesses that are positioned for great success in this market." Walker adds, "If you want to grow your business, there's no better place to go to get this kind of opportunity." For leasing information, contact Dusty Burke at dusty@acreco.com, or visit the website at www.cornerstonesquare.com.