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Large firm
eyeing Plymouth Rubber site for warehouse, distribution center
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
The company
from Indianapolis that has shown serious interest in buying the
former Plymouth Rubber site is apparently fronting for another
firm that belongs to the Fortune 500 list, reported Napleton
attorney Paul Schneiders last week.
Schneiders
said his clients’ first knowledge of the situation came during a
meeting with the Indianapolis contingent last Tuesday at the
Watertown offices of VHB, Inc., Napleton’s engineering
consultant. The meeting, which lasted more than five hours,
reportedly ended with Napleton owners being handed a purchase
and sales agreement — another clear indication, according to
Schneiders, that this ‘mystery company’ is serious about buying
the property.
“These
people are so eager to get this land that they came to
Massachusetts with a contract,” said Schneiders, adding that “99
percent of the time,” with large land deals such as the one
being contemplated, the purchase and sales agreement originates
with the seller.
Schneiders
said even his clients do not know which particular company is
behind the recent offer; however, they do know that it is a
company that already has two other locations in Massachusetts,
and one that is looking for a site to build a large-scale
warehouse and distribution center.
“This is a
big, big company that needs a large site in the Boston area to
warehouse and distribute its goods,” Schneiders said.
In
related news:
Schneiders
confirmed a claim, made recently by a member of the Board of
Selectmen, that Napleton would need to be allowed to build
apartments in order to consider a second attempt to overlay the
property with a mixed-use zone.
“Nobody is
building condos right now because you can’t sell them,” he said.
Napleton’s
original plans for the site had called for a total of 650
residential units, including several hundred one- and
two-bedroom apartments. By the time the annual town meeting
commenced in late April, however, that number had been reduced
to 395, and Napleton, in a last-ditch effort to secure a
rezoning, agreed at the request of town officials to a
stipulation that all units be owner-occupied condominiums.
Reached by
telephone on Saturday, selectmen Chairman John Connolly said he
had little to add to the discussion at this time, explaining
that he is “not going to speculate” on what may or may not
happen.
“They’ll do
what they have to do,” he said of Napleton. “If they’re not
interested, then sell the property.”
Connolly
said there have been no formal discussions held regarding the
possibility of calling a special town meeting to rezone the
land. He said he is open to the idea if Napleton expresses
interest, but is equally open to working with the next group of
owners — whoever they may be.
July 17, 2008
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