Rising megastore caps Hanover's building boom
Huge shopping plaza, with Target as anchor, is changing the landscape
Setting its sights on rapidly growing Hanover and nearby towns along Route 53, Minneapolis-based Target is building a megastore to anchor a new shopping plaza on the busiest stretch in town.
Two red bull’s-eye signs on the east side of Route 53, known locally as Washington Street, now mark entrances to what will soon become the Washington Street Shopping Center. Once complete, the Target outlet will measure about 137,000 square feet, making it the biggest single retail store in town.
It is the latest addition to a town that has seen a lot of construction in recent years. A Massachusetts Audubon Society study found that between 1999 and 2005, Hanover lost 256 acres of open space to development. During that building boom, 212 acres of forest were developed, 413 new homes were built, and the town had the third-highest rate of development in the state. Norwell, its neighbor to the north, had the second-highest rate of development, according to Mass Audubon.
The newest change to Hanover’s landscape replaced nearly 40 acres of woodlands off Route 53. Where towering evergreens once stood is a vast moonscape of tan-colored dirt and asphalt. The walls of the Target store have gone up, and the company says construction is progressing on schedule. A grand opening is planned for Oct. 11, said Jill Hornbacher, a
She declined to comment on the cost of construction, but town assessors have valued the shopping center at $25 million, which would bring about $300,000 in tax revenue.
When it opens for business, the store will employ 150 to 200 people (known as “team members,’’ in Target-speak). It will have a pharmacy, a
No doubt the discount retailer will be gunning for many of the same customers who now shop at nearby Shaw’s, Trader Joe’s, and Stop & Shop, all on Route 53, as well as those who have been flocking to the Hanover Mall next door, which includes a
Target will be the first business to open in the Washington Street Shopping Center. Three other buildings are also in the works. The vacant Decathlon Sports Megastore, which most recently housed a furniture store, will be demolished to make way for a new building containing six or seven retail shops. A 17,000-square-foot retail space is slated to be constructed behind the Globe South building at 1165 Washington St. The remaining structure - for a yet-to-be-named restaurant - will be erected at the south end of the site, adjacent to the Living Hope Foursquare Church.
A waste-water treatment facility is being built to serve the 39-acre site. A traffic signal and turning lanes will be installed at the main entrance.
Hanover Town Planner Andrew R. Port said the shopping center has been in the works since 2007, and “across the board, this was a welcome project.’’
Of the Mass Audubon report that points to a relatively high pace of growth in Hanover, Port noted that the study used data dating back to 2005, and he said he couldn’t immediately verify the accuracy of the figures.
“We have some 1,844 acres of land in some level of protection, whereas the Audubon report indicates we have only 1,266 acres. Further, since the study data ends in 2005 and the town of Hanover has acquired additional open space with our Community Preservation Act funds, the conclusions, ranking, and data relied upon in the Audubon report may be unreliable,’’ Port said in an e-mail.
The Washington Street Shopping Center project did raise concerns for the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, because it paves over several acres of woodlands. The site is close to the drinking supply for Hanover and neighboring Norwell and within the watershed of the Third Herring Brook, a major tributary of the North River.
“It’s a pretty large development - all told, I think there’s 18 acres of paved surface,’’ said Samantha Woods, executive director of the watershed association, based in Norwell. “In the permitting process, [the developers] took to heart some of our comments. They worked with the Planning Board in Hanover and us to reduce some of their pavement.’’
The developers also agreed to improve the storm-water drainage system in the parking lots. Water from the store’s roof will be routed to underground cisterns and stored for later use to irrigate the landscaping, said Woods.
“Is it perfect? No. But it’s definitely an improvement over what was originally proposed. Obviously, we’d prefer not to have anything. And of course we’ll miss the trees and hill there,’’ she said. The developers “did a pretty good job, given the constraints of the site.’’
The Hanover location will be the sixth Target store in the region. As of March, there were 31 Target stores in Massachusetts, including stores in Abington, Easton, Kingston, Stoughton, and Wareham. Target now operates approximately 1,700 stores in 49 states, after opening its first in Roseville, Minn., in 1962.
The corporation is eyeing an additional location south of Boston: in Braintree, at the South Shore Plaza, where officials are hoping to strike a deal with Target to occupy the lowest level of a new wing under construction. The wing is also the future home of Nordstrom, scheduled to open next March.
If negotiations are successful, the Braintree Target could open by next fall, said Bill Jackson, vice president of development for
Jackson said that Target is interested in 150,000 square feet of space at the mall, and that Simon has been working with the town of Braintree to secure permits. On May 19, the Planning Board approved minor changes to the site plan to accommodate the Target store, he said.
“Everything is moving well with the town,’’ said Jackson, adding that negotiations for a lease with Target are ongoing. “We’re hoping to get it completed so they can open in fall 2010. . . . I think it will be a great mix for the shopping center.’’
Hornbacher would not comment on the company’s plans in Braintree. But she did say: “We’re definitely interested in the area.’’
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. 