Westborough Prepares To Market Vacant Theater Property

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Westborough Town Meeting on Saturday approved two measures allowing the town to begin marketing the Regal Cinemas movie theater along Route 9, with a goal of having proposals in by the end of May.

The former theater, which closed in 2017, sits on 29 acres north of Route 9 near the Route 135 interchange. The town took possession of the property in January after a tax foreclosure.

The Select Board is in the process of writing a request for proposals document seeking ideas for redevelopment. The document could be finalized at the April 12 meeting, Town Manager Kristi Williams said. The town will likely accept proposals through May.

Williams said plenty of entities have reached out to the town since the theater's closure with proposals. The town would like the site to remain a commercial space — perhaps even another theater. Whatever the use, it'll have to align with the town's climate action plan. The town will also ask boards and commissions for feedback about possible uses, Williams said.

Westborough Community Development Director Fred Lonardo said a residential use at the site would require a special approval from the Planning Board.

"[T]he town presently does not have sewer capacity for new residential, so that may be an issue for anyone looking at residential on that site," Lonardo noted.

One article approved at Town Meeting on Saturday sets aside $200,000 for property transfer fees and upkeep of the property while it's in the town's possession, and a second article transfers the property to the Select Board.

Marketing the property could conclude a years-long process of dealing with the vacant building. After the theater closed, the town was unable to find the property owner. A 2019 deal to sell the theater to a Walpole company for $5 million fell through after a possible owner stepped forward. That same year, the town decided to pursue taking the property through the tax foreclosure process.