Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

As St. Patrick’s school goes down, Natick Farm barn rises

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The former St. Patrick’s School, located directly across the street from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Natick Center, has officially achieved complete teardown status. We took video of the building’s last stand before front end loaders finished it off.

Natick Fire Department was onsite to aid with dust control. Debris removal and other site work is expected to continue through late spring.

What goes up, must come down

Plans for the site, which have been vetted before the Zoning Board of Appeals, call for a mixed-use development including market rate (i.e., expensive) and affordable (i.e., less expensive) residential units, plus space on the first floor of the main building at 45 E. Central St. for up to four retail tenants. That main 4-story building will feature 46 1-3-bedroom units and underground parking. Another eight units with 3 or 4 bedrooms will be divvied among four townhouse buildings on Lincoln and Wilson Streets. A quarter of the units will be affordable based on a state formula. Overall, the residential and retail space will amount to 14,320 sq. ft.

St. Patrick's School, Natick

 

St. Patrick's School, Southgate

What goes down, sometimes rises

Natick Community Organic Farm’s new barn is currently a work in progress. According to the farm’s website the foundation has fully cured, and all the electrical conduits (the pipes that hold the electrical wiring) are in.

The timber frame arrived from New Energy Works in Farmington, NY on May 1, and the frame assembly process took three days. Next steps include roofing and siding.

Natick Community Organic Farm barn

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, barn

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, barn

 

Natick Community Organic Farm

 

Natick Community Organic Farm

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, barn

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Natick business buzz: The Flats coming back to life; New package store makes bid; David’s Bridal warns of layoffs

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The latest Natick, Mass., business news:

The Flats coming back to life

Work on The Flats housing complex, at 7 Washington St. next to Agostino’s, had been all out for a while, but in recent months has stalled. The plan is to build studios and 1- and 2-bedroom apartments.

We reached out to The Flats via its website and asked what was up, as Natick Report readers have been asking us. We didn’t get a lot of details, but were told:

“The project hit several delays and was sold for $9.5M.  Construction will restart in the coming weeks.”

Sounds promising…

The previous building was torn down in early 2022. Past tenants included Bruno’s barber shop (now on Pond Street), Kentucky Spirits, and others.

The project is on its way to becoming a new structure with retail on the ground floor and 4 levels of apartments above, with off-street parking. The Planning Board in March of 2020 gave its blessing to the project, including a site plan and special permit, at the Natick Mercantile Building. A 7-19 Washington Working Group had studied the project for Natick.

The Flats

New package store makes bid

The Natick Select Board is slated to host a public hearing on April 19 at 6:30pm at Town Hall regarding an application for an all-alcohol package store license in the plaza at 2 Mill St. that currently includes Liberty Pizza, a convenience store, and salon.

The application is for Liberty Liquors (Jaymin Patel, manager).  A memo from Natick Police Deputy Chief Brian Lauzon says the applicant is a suitable recipient for a license, but questions the location in light of another package store nearby (Roche Bros. plaza).

David’s Bridal warns of possible mass layoffs

David’s Bridal, which has a location at Natick’s Sherwood Plaza, is exploring a sale of the company and possibly more than 9,000 layoffs. The company, which sells wedding gowns and accessors, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2019.

The Natick location is listed on the Pennsylvania company’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (the “WARN Act”) notice, embedded below. The company would take a phased approach to layoffs, with those at stores coming between mid-June and mid-August.

“The timetable for closing is based on the best information available, although it is subject to change as the Company continues to evaluate its options. The layoffs are expected to be permanent, although new opportunities may become available depending on the outcome of the Company’s sale efforts,” the company wrote.

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Former St. Patrick’s School in Natick getting closer to full demolition

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The former St. Patrick’s School, located directly across the street from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Natick Center, is getting closer to achieving complete teardown status. Local developer Stonegate received its demo permit from the town last month and got going almost immediately. Lots of heavy equipment has been at work on the property, which is being prepared for a mixed-use retail and residential development project. Stonegate has completed other major Natick projects such as 13 West Central St. (the former American Legion building) and 11 South Main St. (Odd Fellows building).

St. Patrick's School, Southgate
St. Patrick's School, Natick

 

St. Patrick's School, Natick

 

St. Patrick's School, Natick

 

Plans for the site, which have been vetted before the Zoning Board of Appeals, call for a mixed-use development including market rate (i.e., expensive) and affordable (i.e., less expensive) residential units, plus space on the first floor of the main building at 45 E. Central St. for up to four retail tenants. That main 4-story building will feature 46 1-3-bedroom units and underground parking. Another eight units with 3 or 4 bedrooms will be divvied among four townhouse buildings on Lincoln and Wilson Streets. A quarter of the units will be affordable based on a state formula. Overall, the residential and retail space will amount to 14,320 sq. ft.

Treasures of the St. Patrick’s School site

Some landmarks of the area were saved, but some have not been as lucky.

Last December Stonegate removed a religious-themed statue that adorned the entryway of the former school, and transported it to St. Patrick’s Cemetery. The 8-ft. high sculpture depicts Jesus welcoming a small child.

Not so lucky has been a much-loved beech tree at the corner of the property, which is in the process of being felled. Stonegate has assured residents through its Facebook page that many trees will be planted to mitigate its loss.

St. Patrick's School, Southgate

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A winter walk around the Natick Community Organic Farm

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After a sedentary holiday season marked by multiple multi-course meals, we needed to get outside and spend some time in the bracing cold. During a contemplative walk at the Natick Community Organic Farm, we counted up the number of cookies we ate over the past few weeks and multiplied that by the number of Hallmark movies we’d watched. That equation added up to a wake-up call. Time to get back on the righteous path of healthy living. We’re now ready to step away from the wassail.

Here are some pics of our visit.

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

 

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick

An update on the barn rebuild

Early in the morning of March 17, 2021 the Natick Community Organic Farm’s 200+ year-old barn burned to the ground. (You can see our story on the fire here.)

Since the event, the farm has been working to raise $1.1 million for a new barn with a state-of-the-art attached greenhouse.

According the the NCOF website, “Our architects have submitted designs, and as of September 2022, we have the permits in hand to begin building.”

West Natick Fire Station invites the public to dedication ceremony on Dec. 3

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We were lucky enough to get a tour of West Natick Fire Station #4 at 268 Speen St. when it was completed in July 2021. Michael Lentini, the fire chief at the time, walked us through the 17,000 square-foot station, showing off the brand-new ADA-compliant building and all its bells and whistles including the five double-deep apparatus bays; training areas; enhanced safety measures; and more.

West Natick fire station

Now the Natick Fire Department (headed by chief Jason Ferschke) invites the public to take a look during an official dedication ceremony on Sat., Dec. 3. Tours of the facility will begin at 10am, with a formal dedication ceremony at 11am.

Must see home-y details: the vintage EMERGENCY sign (try to guess where it was sourced from), and the Fight’n Fourth dining table.

EVENT: West Natick Fire Station dedication
DATE: Sat., Dec. 3, 2022
OPEN HOURS: 10am-noon
DEDICATION: 11am
PARKING: Somewhat limited at the station’s lot, but nearby Sherwood Plaza (1298 Worcester St.) has graciously agreed to accommodate overflow parking.