What Should Fill Up the Plaza at 79 Lynnfield St?

There are still two empty commercial storefronts at the South Peabody plaza.

What Should Go Here?

What Should Fill Up the Plaza at 79 Lynnfield St?

There are still two empty commercial storefronts at the South Peabody plaza.

The controversy over Dunkin' Donuts has long since died down, but there are still two empty storefronts at the plaza at 79 Lynnfield St. -- one next to the coffee shop and the other a few units down next to H&R Block. The two empty units have been vacant for a few years now. Is there another type of business you think that area is still missing? What would be a good fit for the plaza? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.

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What Should Go Here at 15 Wallis St?

What would you like to see happen with this vacant lot downtown?

What Should Go Here?

What Should Go Here at 15 Wallis St?

What would you like to see happen with this vacant lot downtown?

The commercial building that used to occupy 15 Wallis St. was knocked down a while ago in anticipation of a new downtown post office being built there and work on the canal that runs underneath the site. The plans for the new post office, however, appear to have fallen through and the existing branch next-door will remain indefinitely while flood work slated for that section of the North River still awaits a green light from the mayor's office. Any action on the downtown flood mitigation project is on hold, says Mayor Ted Bettencourt, until consultants complete the full schematic designs, cost estimates and project schedule, which he expects to receive any day now. In the meantime, 15 Wallis St. remains a vacant, overgrown and fenced-in …

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What Should Go Here at 18 Howley St.?

This vacant plot downtown has been empty for years.

Even to the casual observer driving along Main Street, it's hard to miss this swath of vacant land. The property at 18 Howley St. -- about three acres -- is located behind the Holy Ghost Society Cultural Center and has sat relatively untouched for years. The land was slated for 200 units of residential condos until the economy and housing market forestalled those plans several years ago. The city finally refused to extend permits for the property in 2008 after a few years with little to no activity on the site and run-ins with conservation officials on proper site maintenance. The Azorean Brotherhood eventually purchased the property for $675,000 in 2008 and has mulled plans for an assisted living facility and mix of residential units, but…

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What Should Go Here?

What's Missing on Andover Street? [VIDEO]

Are there any types of businesses or other facilities you'd like to see on Route 114 that don't exist now?

Route 114 (or Andover Street) is a hive of commercial activity as it runs through Peabody, chiefly thanks to the Northshore Mall -- the Liberty Tree Mall too -- and surrounding larger retail stores. Additionally, there are good variety of restaurants and fast food chains dotting the length of the road, and of course there's the North Shore version of the "Automile" between Peabody and Danvers dealerships. By many standards, regardless of a few larger vacant parcels, the mostly commercial sector is a success and crucial to the local economy. So what do you think, is there anything missing from Andover Street? Any types of businesses or other facilities you'd like to see crop up there? Let us know in the comment section below.

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John Castelluccio

10:44 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013

Michele and Patricia, as you may know, IKEA had actually planned to open a second Massachusetts store in Assembly Square in Somerville, but finally backed off those plans this past summer. Apparently the company says one store in Mass. is sufficient after all... http://somerville.patch.com/articles/it-s-official-ikea-not-coming-to-somerville I imagine there a lot of people up on the North Shore …   more ›

What Should Go Here at 70 Endicott St.?

Home to Peabody's original Electric Light Plant.

It's been several years since the property at 70 Endicott St. was in active use. The building does have local historic value -- construction began in 1891 and finished the following year on Peabody's first Electric Light Plant. Town officials at the time had to file special legislation to operate a municipal utility after being overturned in court...but that's a story for another day. The Peabody Municipal Light Plant discontinued all use of the building and turned it over to the city in 2002 for the School Department to use for central offices. That continued until 2006. In the years since, the city has tried on multiple occasions to sell or lease the property, but all without success for a variety of reasons. Some of the proposals for …

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What Should Go Here?

What Should Go Here at 240 Andover St.?

Newbury Comics is moving from 240 Andover St. to the Northshore Mall.

As you may have heard, Newbury Comics is moving up the street and inside the Northshore Mall near Macy's. The staff says the move will be completed by the end of the month. Once that happens, the sizeable storefront the shop occupies in a retail plaza on Route 114 will be empty. So what would you like to see come in to replace Newbury Comics? The store currently shares the plaza with Starbucks, FedEx/Kinko's, Big Picture Framing and Omni Fitness Equipment. Let us know your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below.

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What Should Go Here?

What Should Go Here at 37 Cross St.?

This land on Cross Street next to Long's Jewelers and across from the Northshore Mall has been vacant for some time. What would you like to see go in here?

This land on Cross Street next to Long's Jewelers and across from the Northshore Mall has been vacant for some time. What would you like to see go in here? The land is for sale and is zoned for Regional Business with a 4,388-square-foot building. Let us know your suggestions in the comments section below.

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What Should Go Here?

What Should Go Here at 108 Newbury St?

This Dunkin' Donuts shop has sat vacant for the past several months since a new location opened in the fall just up the road.

So while we're thinking about Dunkin' Donuts, what do you think should go in over at the empty store now on Route 1 South? The Scrivanos Group out of North Reading opened its brand new shop in October just up the road in a new plaza at 124 Newbury St. The location at 108 Newbury St. since then has sat vacant. Would you like to see a similar use -- a fast food restaurant, perhaps -- come in or something completely different for this section of Route 1? Let us know your ideas in the comments section below.

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