What's Under Construction at 47 Newbury St?

Curious what's going up in front of the SpringHill Suites on Route 1?

According to Ward 5 Councilor Dave Gamache, it may eventually turn into a restaurant with some storefronts.

Gamache said he's had cursory discussions on the project, which tentatively looked at putting a high-end restaurant with retail on the 1.5-acre parcel at 47 Newbury St.

He noted those plans may morph into some other commercial use by the time the project is complete.

When the hotel was built in 2002, Gamache said, that parcel and the vacant one-acre plot next to it (also in front of the hotel) were slated for development, but those projects never materialized due to the economy.

He said there was originally talk of bringing a Macaroni Grill to Peabody. He'd like to see something of that caliber happen now and adds he's glad to see development moving forward.

According to Arthur Pavlo in the Building Inspector's office, the building is just going to be a large shell at this point.

Pavlo said the contractor obtained a permit for the exterior of the new building, along with some plumbing and electrical work, and began construction three to four months ago.

He said no further plans have been filed or permits sought at this point. The shell of a building will cost about $1.23 million -- the permit itself cost $18,000, Pavlo said.

Both of the outlying parcels (#41 and #47 Newbury St.) are currently owned by DB Surf Inc. with an address in Melrose, according to city records. The entity that owns the hotel property, SS Brannen, LLC, is based out of Manchester, N.H.

Gamache noted a restaurant would be an allowed use at that site, so the City Council would only get involved if it turned out to be a fast food operation in need of a drive-through permit.