Judge Orders Cleanup Of Downtown Marlborough Development Site

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough has prevailed in a lawsuit against a downtown property owner over a group of Main Street parcels that have been left to molder in recent years.

In November, Marlborough filed a lawsuit against Natick resident Vincenza Sambataro, who owns a collection of parcels at 164 to 175 Main St. In 2019, the Marlborough City Council approved a mixed-use development on the site consisting of 67 apartments, 43 parking spaces and two retail spaces, but the project was never started.

According to the lawsuit, Marlborough began asking Sambataro to clean up the property in 2020, and then issued a demolition permit to allow buildings on the site, including a former People's Bank branch, to be removed. That work began in early 2021, but ceased by March 2021.

Near the end of 2021, Marlborough paid over $30,000 to install a fence on the site, and then billed Sambataro. The property owner never paid the bill, and in July, Health Director John Garside inspected the property, finding violations of city health and safety codes.

"The property consists of multiple adjacent parcels on the city's historic Main Street, which have been vacant, exposed to the elements and allowed to collect trash and other debris for years. As a result, the property, which is on the side of an expansive hill and supported only by neglected foundation components, could be at risk of falling in itself," the lawsuit said.

On Feb. 2, a Marlborough District Court judge ordered Sambataro to remove garbage, clear vegetation and level the property by the end of May. If Sambataro fails, the city will conduct the work and then place a lien on the property — a possible complication for anyone attempting to develop the site.

Sambataro did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

The property is listed as up for sale for $2.5 million. The listing highlights that the parcel comes as an "approved mixed-use market rate development."

Development plans for the site date to 2016, when the New York developer Wellbuilt Company bought the site and announced plans for the mixed-use building. Sambataro bought it in 2017, according to city records.

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