Base Plan Unclear as Mills Corp. Mall is Rejected

WEYMOUTH, MA-The South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp., which is responsible for overseeing the development process of the former Naval Air Station here, terminated the purchase and sale agreement with Mills Corp. The Virginia-based development company had planned to build a $250-million regional mall on a 155-acre parcel. The mall was to have been the centerpiece of the 1,450-acre property.

According to Mary Cordeiro, assistant to Tri-Town Corp. executive director Kenneth Goff, the Mills plan had specific timetables that couldn’t be met. “Their plan hinged upon developing connector roads to Routes 3 and 18 but the state decided to accelerate improvements to Route 18 first,” she tells GlobeSt.com. It was also clear from the scope of work filed by the state environmental regulators that a mall was not going to be easily permitted. “They made it quite a restrictive process,” says Cordeiro. “They felt that a mall was not going to be environmentally friendly.” In addition, Cordeiro acknowledges that the local opposition to developing a retail mall on the site was “part of the decision.”

Tri-Town might consider another, smaller Mills proposal but many local groups are against any future involvement of Mills Corp. with the former Naval Station. At least five other developers have already contacted the Tri-Town to present their proposals for developing the site.