SHREWSBURY – The SELCO (Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations) Commission unanimously voted on July 25 to approve funds to explore possibly moving the organization’s operations from their locations on Municipal Drive and Maple Avenue to 247 Boston Turnpike, the current site of Patrick Subaru.
With other areas in town — like the police station — expanding, SELCO decided to work with Tecton Architects to evaluate its space needs. The analysis, which was done at the peak of inflation and supply-chain issues, concluded that more space was needed. At the time, the expected cost of a basic, rectangular building was $40 million.
SELCO decided to look at other options.
SELCO General Manager Christopher Roy said that he recalled that Patrick Subaru was planning to move decided to check whether the property was available.
“We reached out, and, sure enough, they’re looking to put it on the market and move forward. The parallels between their operation and our operation are similar. They have the garage space. They have office space,” he said.
The location is about two miles away from SELCO’s current operations.
Roy said the Patrick Subaru space has ample parking for employees and customers. In particular, the building has an expansive training room. The current facility at Municipal Drive makes large-scale gatherings challenging, Roy said.
SELCO — along with town representatives — conducted several site visits and considered the property from “all angles.” Officials determined that the site would meet SELCO’s needs.
SELCO would do minor construction around the property, including building space to park bucket-truck-sized vehicles and creating a “utility-scale warehouse space.”
Roy said that the property’s embankment and landscaping will prevent nearby residents from hearing any noise.
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Even with the renovations and construction, Roy estimated that moving to the Patrick Subaru building would be far less expensive than building its own facility. Roy said moving to Patrick Subaru would cost in the low $20 million range.
“There’s an opportunity for… significant savings,” Roy said. “We’re trying to capitalize on all of this timing and seize the opportunity for savings.”
SELCO would centralize all its operations in the new building, vacating its spaces at Town Hall and Municipal Drive. The newfound space would be transferred to the town, reducing the need for municipal expansion. Roy said the town would save $40 million in total.
Patrick Subaru likely wouldn’t have its new facility on Route 9 ready by the time any possible deal for the building goes through. Roy said Patrick Subaru would lease the space until its move to its new facility is complete.
The new dealership will be located at 701 Boston Turnpike. The Planning Board approved the site plan for the project in March.
However, traffic may be a sticking point for the project. Commission members voiced concerns that trucks would be unable to easily turn left on Route 9 to travel east. Traffic frequently builds up at that section of Boston Turnpike.
“It’s certainly workable, [but] it’s not ideal,” Roy said.
The move is in a preliminary phase. Residents would have to approve the move at Town Meeting before SELCO can officially purchase the building.
