MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — Boston-based real estate firm Redgate Real Estate Advisors is seeking a zoning overlay from the Marlborough City Council that would allow the redevelopment of two underperforming office properties into a large mixed-use residential community, according to reporting by the Worcester Business Journal (WBJ).
As reported by WBJ, the proposed residential overlay district would cover approximately 31 acres at 26-50 Forest St. and permit multifamily housing and retail uses on the site. Redgate has presented a conceptual redevelopment plan that includes approximately 430 apartment units, although the final number of units permitted has not yet been determined.
Robert Buckley, senior partner at Boston-based law firm Riemer Braunstein LLP, told the Marlborough City Council during its April 27 meeting that the existing office properties have been underperforming, WBJ reported.
Under the conceptual proposal, one of the existing office buildings would remain and be converted into a mixed-use structure with ground-floor retail space. The building currently serves as administrative offices for Marlborough-based Main Street Bank.
Kristine Hung, a partner at Riemer Braunstein LLP, told council members that the second office building is currently vacant and would likely be demolished as part of the redevelopment plan, according to WBJ.
The proposal also includes potential amenities such as pickleball courts and a dog park.
WBJ reported that Redgate acquired the two parcels for $14.1 million in December 2023 from Boston-based Washington Capital Management, citing records from the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds.
The zoning overlay request will next be reviewed by the City Council’s Urban Affairs Committee before moving to a vote by the full council.
The Forest Street site sits directly across from another former office property currently being redeveloped into 180 residential units by Southborough-based Ferris Development and Georgia-based PulteGroup, further reflecting the ongoing shift from office to residential use in the region.
