North Shore RMV Finally Finds Home?

DANVERS, MA — There's light at the end of the tunnel for North Shore residents who have had to be creative when it comes to RMV services ever since the Danvers branch in the Liberty Tree Mall closed "due to infrastructure issues" in June 2016.

The state has reached a tentative agreement to open an RMV office this summer at Danvers Crossing, the shopping plaza on Route 1 at the Route 114 exchange, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Item Live first reported.

MassDOT confirmed to Patch that the RMV and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance are in the final stage of an agreement. Once the lease details are taken care of, said representatives from MassDOT and the RMV, it could take seven months to complete.

"The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has been actively seeking a new location for a service center for the Danvers area since the Danvers Service Center was closed," a spokesperson sent to Patch in an email.

The official address of the site is 20 Archmeadow Drive, Danvers and the property is managed by Keypoint Partners.

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This could mean after nearly two years without a registry office north of Boston, North Shore residents will have a little less of a drive.

Six bids were received for a new location back in December 2016: Two in Peabody, two in Danvers, one in Beverly, and one in Wakefield. The RMV was working with Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to evaluate the bids, Patch reported that year. Road bumps along the way put the project on hold. Then, last fall when the plaza went into foreclosure, the Danvers Crossing site was considered.

In the meantime, MassDOT still encourages drivers to use online services whenever possible. You can use the online service center to renew a driver's license, check license status, renew registration.

AAA members can visit AAA offices in Saugus, Peabody, Burlington, or Newburyport for some services, namely driver's license, renewing IDs and registration, and duplicate services.

The closest service centers after that are in Revere, Wilmington, Lawrence, and Haverhill, although the Haverhill branch does not offer learner's permit tests.

Previously On Patch:

Danvers RMV To Close

North Shore RMV: Search For A New Location Continues

Photo of RMV in Watertown by Jenna Fisher/Patch