QBJ Land Development, LLC, a subsidiary of Coastal Partners, LLC in Beverly Farms, recently broke ground for construction of a new BJ's Wholesale Club. BJ's will occupy the former printing press site of the Patriot Ledger.
The project represents QBJ's $20 million total investment into the city and surrounding area. The development project is expected to provide an estimated 150 construction jobs and 150-200 permanent full-time and part-time employees of BJ's Wholesale Club. This new development comes at a crucial time during this current economic downtown and will provide much needed new jobs and investment into the region.
"This day marks the beginning of a new economic stimulus development for the city of Quincy as we break ground for the new BJ's Wholesale Club," said Michael DiGuiseppe, managing partner, QBJ Land Development, LLC. "We are thrilled that QBJ Land Development could play a role in revitalizing this parcel that will provide hundreds of jobs in the building trades and permanent positions at the new BJ's store."
The redevelopment of the former Patriot Ledger printing press site will transform the location into a community-sized 85,000 s/f store on 7.5 acres. The new store is slated to open spring 2010.
QBJ has retained the services of leading architecture, design, engineering and construction firms to work on the redevelopment project including: CM&B Construction, RJ O'Connell, Cubellis Associates, and Vanasse Associates. Financing is provided by Cambridge Savings Bank, Cambridge.
Quincy mayor Thomas Koch and Quincy city council president James Davis III spoke during the ground breaking ceremony along with executives from QBJ and BJ's Wholesale Club, and other participating entities such as Cambridge Savings Bank, Cubellis Associates and CM&B Construction.
"We are committed to serving the needs of BJ's members and look forward to helping our members in Quincy save money everyday on high-quality, brand-name groceries and merchandise, said Mike Palmieri, assistant vice president and regional manager, BJ's Wholesale Club. The BJ's commitment also includes being a good neighbor and contributing to the communities we serve. In Quincy, we aim to create a positive, long-lasting impact on the community through BJ's Adopt-a-School program and support of local Quincy organizations that benefit children and families.
QBJ and its parent company, Coastal Partners, LLC specializes in community oriented mixed-use and retail development projects throughout New England and often partners with retail tenants - similar to BJ's - looking to become business partners in a community. To this end, corporate citizenship is a priority. QBJ will make community donations to Southwest Teen Program, Fire Department, Police Department DARE Program, Lincoln / Hancock School, Sterling School, Ward Four Community Center, and Southwest Community Center.
Headquartered in Natick, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The company currently operates 184 clubs and 103 gas stations in 15 eastern states.