MARLBOROUGH – The vacant lot next to Welly’s on Main Street is being cleaned up.
Over the weekend of Aug. 26, three pieces of earth-removal equipment began to clear out months of overgrown vegetation. The ground was also being leveled.
This cleanup was part of conditions set by the city to the lot’s owner, Vincenza Sambataro. She had until Sept. 30 to clear the lot or be found in violation of several city codes.
Back in January, the city and Sambataro entered an agreement in which she was to “perform specific remedial actions” to bring the property into compliance.
This included fencing off the lot; removing all rubbish; cutting and removing all vegetation; and leveling the property.
Aside from the fencing, the lot remained full of vegetation.
City officials said they have met with Sambataro several times about the property.
In documents filed in Middlesex Superior Court in June, the city’s Inspectional Services Division and Board of Health requested more time in order for Sambataro to clean up the lot.
Had the lot remain uncleared, Sambataro could have been found in violation of the state’s building code, as well as the city’s blight ordinance.
The lot is the site for a proposed mixed-use development called East on Main. A special permit was granted in 2019, and it remains valid until January 2024. According to the City Council, the property has been placed on the market with a price tag of $2.5 million.
