Foxborough Pub Plan For Old Firehouse Back On With New Board

FOXBOROUGH, MA — A plan for building a restaurant with residential apartments above at the former site of the Foxborough Fire Station and Keating Funeral home was delayed back in March after three of five selectmen were discovered to have conflicts of interests that would keep them from voting on the proposals. But after Monday night's election saw Edward O'Leary get elected to the board, the town is expected to consider three mixed-use development proposals again soon.

At the last selectmen meeting on April 30, resident Alison Bancroft asked the board of selectmen that they consider neighbors' worries regarding the size of the new building and how it will impact traffic downtown. Bancroft lives on Market Street, close by the old fire station. She told the selectmen she's specifically worried about the size of a proposal by Douglass A. King Builders Inc., of North Easton, who plans plan to partner with Shovel Town Brewery in Easton to build a second location with some of its own unique beers and food items exclusive to Foxborough. This proposal was ranked as the economic development committee's favorite of the three proposals it reviewed.

Bancroft said she was worried about the size, since the brew pub/apartment complex would be five stories.

"It's disproportionate to the neighborhood," she said. "It wood tower over my home and all the other residential homes in the area."

Bancroft is also worried the King proposal will make parking even more difficult in her neighborhood and downtown Foxborough.

"It's way bigger than anything in the area. it will direct all the traffic onto Market Street," Bancroft said. "There's currently an issue in the town common in general and my neighborhood with parking."

All three development proposals the town is considering pose parking issues, Bancroft said. She said people already have trouble parking in Foxboro Common, and its common that cars are parked in front of her and her neighbors' houses. Now that there's no potential conflicts of interest with the majority of the selectmen, Bancroft said she hopes the board opens up the proposal discussions to the community and take their time to make the right decision.

"I think it's important to have some extra time for the residents to come in an express their opinions about the proposals...," Bancroft said. "We should work on making paring better with any proposal, not making it worse."

Other proposals besides King include Gibson Corner Realty Trust, of Foxborough, which wants to Kitchen Partners LLC, the same company that opened the Union Straw restaurant at the former American Legion Hall on Mechanic Street. MPZ's proposal is more of a concept, not specifying a specific partner at this time, but is expected to include a restaurant, retail space, and apartments.

Given that Bancroft's comments came during "citizen's comment" and were not on the agenda, the Board of Selectmen were not able to respond or discuss Bancroft's comments that night. But it is on the agenda for the next selectmen meeting on May 14.