< back to other Newsroom articles

By Stanley Hurwitz
September 2004

Repositioning for 170,000 s/f Methuen Shopping Landmark
Dickinson Development Completes $750,000 Merrimac Plaza Facelift

Just in time for the 'Back to School' shopping season, Dickinson Development Corporation’s ‘Extreme Makeover’ of Merrimac Plaza in Methuen is nearly complete.

President Mark Dickinson says he began the comprehensive $750,000 image-upgrade and modernization project last year in an effort to reposition the landmark plaza as a top-notch neighborhood shopping center, and to improve the overall shopping experience for area residents. The last major renovations at the site occurred after Dickinson bought the property and redeveloped and expanded it in 1984. The 170,000 square-foot plaza is on the Methuen / Lawrence line, a quarter-mile from Route I-93.

Pinncon, LLC, of Braintree is the general contractor on the project, and Pinnacle Partners Design, LLC, is the project architect. Both are affiliates of The Pinnacle Companies, headed by William O’Brien. Pinncon provides a full range of general contracting, design-build, construction management services. Pinnacle Partners Design offers architectural design, engineering, space planning, and interior design services.

Anchored by a 50,000 square-foot Market Basket supermarket and a 25,000 square-foot A. J. Wright. the busy shopping center includes a new 18,000 square-foot Dollar Tree store. Other newer tenants include Aspen Dental and a UPS store.

Dickinson says shoppers will appreciate the new façade and color scheme employing a variety of rich earth tones. New sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and signage add to the ambience. Throughout construction, he says, there was minimal interference with customer traffic. To ensure that goal, for example, new sidewalks were poured at 4:00 a.m. and dried through a special process by the time the stores opened.

Among other long-time tenants are Brooks Pharmacy, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, Papa Gino’s, Dots Clothing and Payless Shoes. A 2,667 square-foot retail unit is available for lease through leasing agent, The Wilder Companies of Boston, 617-896-4908.

Dickinson Development is preparing for the Grand Opening of The Crossing at Walkers Brook in Reading (MA), a $90 million retail project that includes a 140,000 square-foot Home Depot, a 260,000 square foot Jordan’s Furniture store — including a 480-seat 3-D IMAX theater — plus 75,000 square feet of other retail space and restaurants. (For more information, contact Dickinson Development at 617-770-1955, or visit the company’s web site: www.dickinsondev.com).

^ back to top