BOURNE – Attorneys for Stop & Shop are seeking help from the town of Bourne to develop a large parcel of land near the Bourne Bridge Rotary.
Stop & Shop, under its subsidiary Rotary Development LLC, purchased the 152-acre parcel of land, formerly known as CanalSide Commons, and all its permits for $10 million in 2013.
“Rotary [Development LLC] has been continuously involved with and trying to market the property to end users and other developers and at this time has had insuffiecient interest to develop the property,” said Michael Scott, an attorney with the Hyannis firm Nutter, McClennen & Fish, while speaking before selectmen recently.
Scott said the property is a complicated parcel for development due to its size and infrastructure needs.
“The ultimate development will likely be one large user or perhaps a number of significant components mixed into a mixed use development,” he said.
Scott said the grocery chain wants to work with the town to develop a master plan for the property.
“While we continue to make efforts to facilitate the development of the property we would like to coordinate more closely with the town on marketing activities and leads for ultimate end users,” he said.
The master plan would also advocate for state and federal funding as well as making infrastructure upgrades to the surrounding area, specifically the rotary.
“That rotary obviously needs some work and we have some infrastructure needs to be able to develop the property,” Scott said.
Scott said close coordination with the town is required to try to secure state and federal funds to help with infrastructure improvements.
The attorney’s also asked the town to support a request by the property owners for the Cape Cod Commission to extend the property’s Development of Regional Impact permit, which expires at the end of the month.
“If the DRI is allowed to lapse, it just sets us back even further and it sets back the timetable for getting this property developed,” Scott said.
Selectmen voted unanimously to send a letter of support for an extension to the Cape Cod Commission.
Stop & Shop is seeking a five-year extension for the permit.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter