Project of the Month: Fairlawn Plaza to be redeveloped as 80,000 s/f lifestyle community project - MarketPlace Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury, MA  Fairlawn Plaza, the historically dominant supermarket site in Shrewsbury along the Rte. 9 corridor, is to undergo major redevelopment and repositioning. The rebranded plaza, MarketPlace Shrewsbury will add parking, landscaping and common space in addition to reallocating a portion of the existing retail space to create multi-use pads along Rte. 9.  Totaling over 80,000 s/f of leasable area, the project is immediately adjacent to the planned 500,000 s/f regional mixed-use project The Grove at Maple and Oak.

MarketPlace Shrewsbury not only enjoys outstanding unobstructed visibility from both eastbound and westbound Rte. 9, it also enjoys the best all-direction vehicular access from both Rte. 9 and Maple Ave. Three curb cuts and the signalized intersection located centrally in front of the project provide safe and efficient all-direction traffic flow. With 45,000 ADT, and within 5 miles of a daytime population of 140,000, a drive-time population of 220,000 and annual household income of $72,000, MarketPlace Shrewsbury offers demographics on par with those of the most successful and coveted suburban Boston projects. UMASS Medical Center, Hanover Insurance, Saint Gobain, Astra Zeneca, Raytheon, National Grid and Unum are just a few of the many nationally recognized employers located nearby. University of Massachusetts Medical School, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, College of the Holy Cross, Clark University, Worcester Polytechnical Institute and Assumption College are just some of the many esteemed academic institutions in the community. I-290, I-495, I-90, I-190, state routes 20, 140 and 146, are all easily accessible from MarketPlace Shrewsbury. And most importantly, MarketPlace Shrewsbury is located front and center on Rte. 9 - Massachusetts’ Commercial Corridor.

Real Estate developer Sam Adams, who also developed nearby regional power center Lincoln Plaza in Worcester and is developing the adjacent 500,000 s/f mixed-used project The Grove at Maple and Oak, indicates that MarketPlace Shrewsbury is the beginning of a fantastic array of food, entertainment, retail and office uses to join the already vibrant Shrewsbury Rte. 9 corridor.

 Both projects have been coordinated to take advantage of the completion of the new Lake Quinsigamond Bridge. The Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge provides greatly improved ease of access to Shrewsbury from Worcester and westward. The opening of the 6 lane bridge in conjunction with the many improvements made to Rte. 9 on both sides of the bridge results in access not seen in decades.

The Shrewsbury Rte. 9 corridor is centrally located to service the needs and desires of the 384,000 residents residing within 10 miles and the 45,000 ADTs on Rte. 9 daily. Now truly a functional surface highway, Rte. 9 will enhance its position as the area’s dominant retail, entertainment, dining, office and services hub. With direct connectivity to all communities eastward and westward, both MarketPlace and The Grove also provide direct north and south access at the intersections of Rte. 9 and Maple Ave. and Rte. 9 and Oak St.

While existing shopping centers in the area provide the historic standard, both MarketPlace and The Grove will offer a completely new experience. Outstanding visibility, unparalleled multi-point vehicular access, direct pedestrian access, abundant greenspace and al fresco dining areas combine to create a superlative mix of entertainment, dining, retail and office. Together these projects will create not only a new community commercial hub but a regional one. These timely and significant developments will alter the fabric of Rte. 9 in Shrewsbury and create both a go-to and a convenient in-transit destination.  

The project team includes the area’s finest commercial real estate professionals: Waterman Design Associates, Inc., Allevato Architects Inc., Green International Affiliates, Inc. and Seder & Chandler, LLP.