Sold: MBTA Closes On Medford Property Despite Mayor's Efforts

MEDFORD, MA — Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced that the MBTA has closed on the sale of the property on 440 Riverside Ave.

Earlier this month, the MBTA announced its intentions to acquire the 21-acre industrial property for the primary purpose of storing electric buses. However, Lungo-Koehn expressed her desire to not have the space used for this purpose, and instead be used to open a Market Basket grocery store. She had met with MBTA, Market Basket, and state leadership in an effort to change the outcome. On Thursday, Aug. 14, she expressed her belief that no sale was imminent. However, the MBTA closed on the former Anheuser-Busch distribution warehouse by Monday, Aug. 25.

“I personally feel that this is too much for one site and I will continue to advocate for the best possible outcome for our community, which includes but is not limited to making sure there is a proper buffer zone for the neighborhood, traffic analysis and mitigation measures,” Lungo-Koehn said.

A real estate listing for the newly-acquired property describes a 207,000 square-foot cold storage warehouse, plus two smaller outbuildings of 43,000 square feet combined.

In the aftermath of the purchase, the MBTA has reportedly compromised with Medford and will transfer ownership of seven acres of the Wellington station as well as the car house on Salem Street.
Lungo-Koehn said she has asked the MBTA to hold a community meeting with the people in the neighborhood of the location.