Representatives from New Mill Capital and Dacon, the design and construction company renovating the massive, 34-acre property, said in September that they plan to spend about $7.5 million to renovate and lease the building to a new tenant.
MILFORD – As renovations to the former glass bottle factory on National Street continue, developers say one thing is becoming clear – the building won’t return to its manufacturing roots.
“We have a very strong sense that no one is going to come in and use this building for manufacturing,” attorney Joseph Antonellis told the Planning Board this week. “There is not any demand for manufacturing in this area.”
National firm New Mill Capital bought the 322,000-square-foot glass bottle plant at the end of 2018, after Ardagh Group closed it, citing a decline in demand for glass bottles in the beer industry. About 250 people lost their jobs.
Representatives from New Mill Capital and Natick-based Dacon Corp., the design and construction company renovating the massive, 34-acre property, said in September that it plans to spend about $7.5 million to renovate and lease the building to a new tenant.
$7.5 million renovation designed to give Milford glass factory new life
This week, Antonellis and a representative from Dacon told Planning Board members that potential tenants want distribution centers.
Online retail giant Amazon has a distribution facility on the east side of town that has caused friction between the company and the town, with residents reporting dangerous traffic. Distribution centers are short-term warehouses where items can be sorted and then sent out again.
Milford slams Amazon, requests meeting
“I believe that there is interest, generally in this area, for that,” Antonellis said, “because of its proximity to the Pike, 95 and 495.”
To make that vision happen, Dacon asked the Planning Board this week to approve an updated site plan that replaced some of the building with more paved areas, for more vehicles. The new plan also bumps the 12 loading bays on the building to 32.
The new paved areas are designed to make sure delivery vehicle traffic stays on the property, only heading out on the road once drivers are ready, an architect said Tuesday.
As a distribution center, Antonellis said the company is looking at a model that would use about 80 employees.
Planning Board members worried about putting a distribution facility – and the accompanying truck traffic – into an otherwise residential area.
“The trucks going down Beach Street are going to cause people issues there,” Planning Board member Joseph Calagione said. “Those houses are right on the street on Beach Street. It vibrates, I understand that. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that anybody can do. It’s a legal right the people have to travel on it.”
Members said they hoped to be able to work with the company that leases the building, but were wary of approving the plan without knowing who the tenant would be.
Antonellis said New Mill Capital does not yet have a tenant.
“I really want to have a warm and fuzzy (feeling) as to what we’re getting down there in terms of the types of trucks, what the scheduling is going to be, and things like that,” Calagione said, “because I think that’s important for us in order to approve the plan.”
The Planning Board did not make a decision on the changed site plan, continuing the discussion to March 3.
Alison Bosma can be reached at 508-634-7582 or [email protected]. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.
