Clark Tavern News: Initial Plans to Be Revealed Jan. 15

The "Sale Pending" sign on the historic Clark Tavern (circa 1740) could soon change to "Sold" if prospective owner and builder David MacCready obtains the necessary town approvals.

The Medfield Historical Commission will get a sneak preview of MacCready's preliminary tavern plan at its 7 p.m., Wednesday, January 15 meeting in the Department of Public Works Building. This meeting is open to the public, with citizens encouraged to attend.

In an e-mail to the Commission, MacCready expressed his desire to "save the Clark Tavern" with a plan that would entail re-creating two residential units in the tavern building, and having three "outbuilding units in the rear." The tavern purchase is contingent on obtaining the necessary permits and approval of Medfield Zoning Board of Appeals, according to MacCready.

David Temple, co-president of Medfield Historical Commission, and president of Medfield Historical Society, shared that while the Commission cannot affect the tavern project outcome with the ZBA, the Society will be invited to comment at the ZBA hearing (not yet scheduled) since its Peak House property abuts tavern land. The Peak House is on the National Historic Register; the Clark Tavern is listed on a similar historic register for Massachusetts and is eligible for national listing. Click here to learn about the historical significance of the Clark Tavern.

Medfield architect David Sharff is working with MacCready on the Clark Tavern project, and MacCready noted that both "thought it would be valuable to ask for design input from the historic groups in the town," as well as Main Street neighbors, early on in the process, prior to the ZBA step. MacCready and his firm, Open Spaces Builders, took on the two-year renovation of the historic Ord's Block building on Main Street that is currently home to the Avenue restaurant that opened in 2016.

The Clark Tavern purchase agreement is with LCB Senior Living, which officially withdrew its site plan and subdivision applications from the Planning Board on Dec. 16 as a result of the pending sale, as indicated on the meeting agenda. Both withdrawal requests were unanimously accepted by the board. In related news, property that had been originally earmarked for the assisted living project was purchased by a tavern abutter last year.

Recent actions by LCB and Planning Board officially close the book on a story that began in 2012 when the tavern and adjacent property had been put up for sale. LCB took ownership of most of the property in 2014 after a controversial town bylaw change, and after a failed attempt by an interim owner to restore the tavern to its original use in the face of significant community support.

Speaking only for himself (not the Commission or Society), Temple said he was personally "optimistic about the future of the Clark Tavern."