Plans for a three-story self-storage facility on the corner of Rt. 18 and Shaw Street have been scrapped, and the commercial parcels sold off.
The project, which received planning board and conservation commission approval last spring, would have merged and redeveloped the two commercial properties at 700 and 714 Bedford Street, as well as a residential home located at 53 Shaw Ave.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit shortly after the permitting process wrapped up, and the project never broke ground.
Attorney Shawn Reilly – who represented the developers, LPC Northeast, LLC, during the permitting process – confirmed that the group decided at some point to drop the project.
The commercial properties, which had been owned by different companies, have since been sold to the same ownership group.
700 Bedford Street Trust purchased the commercial property at 700 Bedford St., from 700 Bedford St., LLC, on October 21, 2020 for $385,000. The site has previously been home to Russell A Wheatley & Co., and AE Sports.
714 Bedford Street Trust purchased the commercial property at 714 Bedford St., from 714 Bedford Street, LLC, on August 11, 2020 for $600,000. The site had been home to a number of retail businesses over the years including Lampworks, Eclectic Collection, The Other Side of Dempsey’s, and Regina’s Beauty Salon.
The listed trustee for both 700 Bedford Street Trust and 714 Bedford Street Trust is Michael Ahern, of Dorchester.
Signs reading “Available Commercial” went up recently at both properties. The listing agent, Theresa Goodwin, of Elite Realty Advisors, said the owner did not wish to comment on future plans for the sites.
LPC Northeast would have combined the three parcels into one, and built a 93,000 square foot, 3-story, glass and metal self-storage facility on the three parcels. Self-storage facilities are allowed under Abington’s zoning rules for highway commercial properties. The plan called for leveling the hill site, and building a more than 20-foot landscaped buffer along the corner property, with trees partially blocking the building from street view. In approving the project, the planning board said self-storage facilities generate less traffic than many other commercial uses, such as restaurants, medical offices, and retail shops.
Disclosure: The author of this article is a member of the Abington Planning Board.