Town could receive early Loop payment
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Northborough - While construction of "The Loop" retail development is running behind schedule, payment of the mitigation money regarding the project appears to be ahead of schedule.

Marshall Gould, the attorney representing Brendon Properties and its owner, Kevin Giblin, the major developer and financier of the project, told the Board of Selectmen at its March 10 meeting that the town could be receiving a check for $200,000 of the mitigation money by the end of the month.

"Kevin wants to do this to show the town that he is still very committed to this project," Gould said. "There have been some delays, which is understandable for a project of this magnitude, and Kevin thought this would be a way he could show that no matter what, he's still in it for the long haul."

The Loop - a 575,000-squarefoot, open-air shopping plaza to be built on 150 acres at the intersection of routes 9 and 20 - was approved for development in June 2006 by the Northborough Zoning Board of Appeals, which also approved at about the same time the building of Avalon- Bay, a 350-unit apartment complex that will be built on the same parcel.

During the review process, the town, Giblin and Avalon- Bay entered into an agreement regarding a mitigation package that would pay the town a total of $2.1 million to help with the added expenses related to police, fire and schools that come with a project of this magnitude.

Giblin's portion of the mitigation money is $600,000, and while the town would receive the total amount in three installments, the first would not be required until the first building permit is pulled, an action that is still several months away.

"The town has shown good faith to Kevin in every step of this process," Gould said, "and he wants to thank them for their faith in him and the project by presenting them a portion of the mitigation money early so they can get started doing what they need to be doing to prepare for the project."

Giblin was not present at the meeting, Gould told the board, because he was attending the wake of a family friend.

Gould also came before the board to ask for its support of a Town Meeting Warrant article that, if approved, will petition the state for approval of an additional Wine and Malt Beverages Package Store License that one of the prospective major tenants of the Loop would need to become one of the development's anchor stores.

"The potential tenant, who wants to remain nameless at this point," Gould said, "would have a portion of the store dedicated to selling gourmet food, and the section would include beer, wine and specialty coff ee."

The board approved the warrant article unanimously.

Gould said that so much site work has been completed that people with a knowledge of the property who have toured it have said they don't recognize it. He said the delay in the development has been a result of meetings with MassHighway regarding the ramps that allow motorists to access and exit routes 9 and 20.

"It was our thought, after preliminary meetings with MassHighway, that we would have to rebuild only two of the four ramps," Gould said, "but they have recently made it clear that we're going to have to rebuild all four ramps."