Town Could Avoid Lawsuit by Rehearing Coke Plant Project

The Salem Zoning Board will soon reevaluate a controversial rejection that led developers to threaten to sue the town.

The Eagle-Tribune has reported that the board has authorized a rehearing for Metscott 21 LLC's car dealership proposal for the vacant Coca-Cola bottling plant at 23 South Broadway.

The board voted 4-1 in November to deny Metscott, a company run by Joseph Scott. Scott recently told the Eagle-Tribune that the zoning board "had no right to reject it," though, and that he was pleased to have another chance to secure the variance needed for the work to move forward.

Scott's company purchased the long-dormant plant in 2006 for $3 million, according to information available from the Vision Appraisal assessor's online database of Salem properties.

The parcel, which has just over 75,000 square feet of livable space, is valued at $2,430,200. The building was originally constructed in 1921 as one of the first Coca-Cola bottling plants in the country, although it has been vacant for years.