The site is comprised of a number of lots owned by F.X. Messina Enterprises, a Braintree, MA-based developer and is surrounded by a number of other big-box stores such as Jordan's Furniture, Costco and Christmas Tree Shops.
According to a number of town officials the town is eager to see Ikea move into its borders. "The town is receptive to the proposal," Mark Stankiewicz, Stoughton's town manager, tells GlobeSt.com. Ikea has been trying to get a 280,000-sf store built for nearly five years in Somerville. While the city has been fairly receptive to the idea, a local citizen's group there has filed to block construction of the store. The trial is not expected to begin until next spring. Calls to Ikea were not returned by deadline, but a representative of the company tells GlobeSt.com that the Stoughton store has no impact on the company's plan for a store in Somerville.
Ikea made a presentation to the town's department head and Stankiewicz says the company will make a formal proposal next month. If the company gets all its approvals it can start construction by next summer.
Stankiewicz and other town officials point out that the plan's main thorn is the potential increase in traffic. The problem is not insurmountable, says one official, but it has to be addressed. Stankiewicz notes that the store generates about 20,000 cars a day. "It all boils down to the traffic," he says. "Obviously we would like it to work but can they do it to the satisfaction of town leaders and the residents?"
The company estimates that the store will produce approximately one million dollars per year in taxes. Ikea has 18 stores in the US, with the latest store under construction in New Haven, CT.
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