(l to r) Newton Mayor Setti Warren, Bierbrier Development President Len Bierbrier, and Bowdoin Construction President Irwin M. Yanowitz.
Newton, MA – Bierbrier Development Inc. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of Needham Street Village Shops, located at 55 Needham Street in Newton, MA, at the eastern end of this highly desirable retail corridor.
Featuring 19,200 square feet of leasable area and 79 total parking spaces, Needham Street Village Shops will be a LEED Silver retail project ready for occupancy in the Summer of 2014. More than 50 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony including city officials, business and community leaders and members of the project development team.
Newton Mayor Setti Warren, who was Guest of Honor at the groundbreaking ceremony, said: “We are thrilled, we are thrilled about what is happening on Needham Street. “It is a long-time coming.”
Added Bierbrier Development President Len Bierbrier: “Today’s groundbreaking is a major milestone for everyone involved in this project. It celebrates the implementation of the vision that the City of Newton has for the 21st Century conversion of Needham Street to a retail boulevard enhancing the live, work, play theme so relevant to the community. We are very appreciative of the officials of the City of Newton and the city’s land-use committee and Board of Aldermen for their guidance, cooperation and professionalism throughout the permitting processes of this project.” “I sense the thoughtful and deliberative process that took place in a relatively short period of time is surely a welcome signal to the business community” added Mr. Bierbrier.
Needham, MA-based Bowdoin Construction is serving as the general contractor. Cambridge, MA-based Prellwitz Chillinski Associates is the project architect. Atlantic Retail Properties is the exclusive leasing for the property.
Needham Street has flourished as a very important retail cluster serving the needs of Newton and Needham residents, and has long been a highly sought-after location for retailers. Until now, retail uses along the corridor have relied largely on reuse of commercial and industrial buildings that have bordered Needham Street since the 1950s.
The Needham Street Village Shops brings a design appeal that leads the way for a transformation of the corridor into the type of shopping and pedestrian center long sought by planners and property owners alike. The inspiration for the design of the Needham Street Village Shops, and the “village retail” concept that Bierbrier Development is pursuing, is the firm’s successful Arlington Village Shops on Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington, Mass.
“Our design concept addressing the desires of city planners, retailers and consumers focuses on locating projects in dense, established retail clusters , with the look and feel of Main Street combined with significant parking ” said Mr. Bierbrier. “We believe that keeping our building depths short enough allows us to locate necessary parking in a concealed location that provides convenience to the shoppers and gives the high-visibility frontage desired by retail operators. In keeping with previous efforts, we also plan on the Needham Street Village Shops being LEED Silver rated.”
Needham Street Village Shops is located within steps of the highly successful Avalon at Newton Highlands, which has nearly 300 high-end apartment units, and at a very convenient intersection of Needham and Winchester streets. The design is largely in keeping with Newton planners’ long-term vision for a Needham Street corridor that provides for pedestrian-friendly design.
