Dickinson Development Corp. built the center on a 33.5-acre former municipal landfill. The site was a town dump until the 1970s and the state ordered the landfill capped. Quincy-based Dickinson agreed to take over responsibility for closing up the landfill, which cost nearly $4 million. The agreement that was reached as part of negotiations between the town and the developer--which took nearly three years--resulted in a public-private partnership between Reading and Dickinson Development.

Dickinson, which teamed with Pinnacle Partners for the project, also paid the town $3 million for the site. Adjacent road improvements were made possible by a $1.8 million Public Works Economic Development grant from the state. The developer estimates that the plaza will bring in $750,000 annually in new property taxes to Reading.

According to Mark Dickinson, president of Dickinson, the topography of the former municipal landfill dictated what he calls its "unique vertical-box design." Home Depot and Jordan's Furniture share a common footprint as the project centerpiece. Jordan's Furniture, which is set to open in October, will have 260,000 sf including an IMAX theater. An adjacent Chili's Restaurant, which will open in September, completes the first phase of the project. The 70,000 sf second phase, to be completed by the spring of 2005, will accommodate additional retailers and restaurants.