Major Main Street Development Getting Closer

MELROSE, MA — The former site of the Moynihan Plaza building has a tenant and will begin construction as soon as this month, aiming for completion by November. The long-empty spot that had been a black eye on one of the most appealing blocks of downtown could be its crown jewel by the fall.

Dave Rudloff from Wise Construction updated a Planning Board subcommittee on the project Monday night. The nature of the meeting was largely to discuss building finishings and structure, but he confirmed some details.

The building at 530 Main St. will have two retail units on the ground floor below 10 residential units in the two floors above. Two of those residentials will be studios, and the rest will be two-bedrooms. There will be outdoor seating in the rear.

Representatives of 530 Main St., LLC would not confirm what tenant is slated for the largest area of the retail space, but sources have previously indicated to Patch it will be a food and drink business. An official announcement is expected in the coming months. A second retail tenant would likely not be in the food business, Rudloff said.

Moynihan Plaza was demolished just before Thanksgiving. The building, once the lively home to Bread & Bits and other popular businesses, had been an empty eyesore for well over a year. While city officials have sent out some hopeful updates and reasons why the site - as well as the former home to Coffee, Tea & Me farther down Main St. - have been slow to develop, the fact remains two of the most popular spots in downtown have been barren for longer than was initially hoped for.

Rudolff said Monday night some of the delay had to do with the National Grid moratorium that Melrose adopted and the state later put into effect. He said the company was ready to "mothball" the project and wait until the spring before getting a break on the gas work. (Locked out National Grid workers voted Monday to approve a contract agreement to end the six-month lockout.)

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