ARLINGTON, MA—Officials from Bierbrier Development Inc., a developer and owner of urban shopping centers in Eastern Massachusetts, joined representatives from the town of Arlington, local business leaders and tenants to celebrate the grand opening of the 9,000-square-foot addition to the existing Arlington Village Shops shopping center in Arlington, MA.
“We’re very excited to have not only completed this expansion successfully, but also have nearly fully leased the new space. Despite a slowdown in the retail industry, it’s a great accomplishment,” said Len Bierbrier, president of Bierbrier Development. “Also, we’re very thankful to the officials of the town of Arlington and the town’s planning board for their cooperation and professionalism throughout the permitting and construction processes of this project.”
The new addition, which will be one of the first core and shell LEED-certified retail buildings in Massachusetts, has expanded Arlington Village Shops to a total of 25,000 square feet of rentable retail space. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings and is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.
“Despite bumpy economic times for retailers and real estate, we’re very happy to see this project come to fruition,” said Chris Loreti, chairman of the Arlington Redevelopment Board, which serves as the town’s planning board. “We’re also very pleased with the type of diverse businesses Bierbrier Development has managed to bring into Arlington.”
Leading the way for new tenants at Arlington Village Shops is Unleashed by PETCO, which leased 5,000 square feet of retail space at the new building to open one of the first regional “Unleashed” boutique pet shops. PETCO is one of the nation’s leading pet specialty retailers, providing products, services and advice about pet animals. Hair Cuttery, a national hair cuts and full-service salon, leased 1,375 square feet of retail space in the new building. Only 2,500 square feet of space is still available for lease in the new building.
Bierbrier Development also recently leased 3,300 square feet of retail space in the existing Arlington Village Shops to The Meat House, a national franchise that has store locations in 6 states—Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and California—with additional locations opening in Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Texas in early 2010.
“It took a lot of courage for Len to take on this project at a time when the economy was heading down and real estate market was not favorable,” said Robert Bowes, member of the executive committee of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. “It also took a great depth of expertise and skills to complete this project, and we’re very pleased to see this great development completed and leased to great tenants.”
Brockton, MA-based DMR Construction served as the general contractor for the new addition. Cambridge, MA-based Prellwitz Chillinski Associates served as project architect.