Legacy Place | Dedham

If I were to walk to this from the 34E or from the Rustcraft commuter rail stop, would I be risking my life, or are there reasonable sidewalks and crosswalks?
 
There is a sidewalk from Washington to Route 1 with a crosswalk over to the theaters. A lot of people from Roslindale, West Roxbury, Norwood, ect do use that as a way to get there. Coming up from the train station, last I saw, there was no sidewalk but a definite beaten path up on the dirt. I haven't been back on that side of the theater in a while but last time I was over there, there was a large construction site across from the station so they may have also connected the sideway up Elm, torwards the theater.
 
It's a shame that the developer is not emphasizing access to transit nearby as a selling point and is only emphasizing access to highways. Perhaps the city and the community can push them to not only emphasize it but also improve access to it.
 
Would it make sense to divert the 34E bus into this development?
 
I live right around the corner from all of this . . .

While I am not explicitly familiar with the developers plans for the current construction--it appears to be several multi-unit apartment/condo buildings in close proximity with a central parking garage, I would guess that the end result would include sidewalks running along Rustcraft.

For that matter, I have not been a good citizen and closely followed the plans for Legacy Place itself, despite their being several public discussions/hearings on this.

If this [sidewalks with the new residential development] is done, it would effectively link the T stop (Dedham Corporate Center) with the area slated for Legacy Place as this new development sits on the 'corner'--a large area of about 500 yards or so as the road traces--of Rustcraft on which one side is the train station and on the other is the current movie complex/parking lot and future legacy place.

The recently-completed Jefferson Apartments that are right next door to the new residential development (and also right across the street from the T stop) did not bring with them very much in the way of conspicuous infrastructural improvements . . . at least not as far as pedestrian-friendly sidewalks go. Nor did they do much of anything to link the T stop across the street with the new apartments--there is a chain link fence that is just high enough to be a pain in the ass to jump (about 5-6' or so) and a nubbins 'hole' in the fence on the opposite end of the apartment complex.

The point is that it despite the apparent opportunity to improve pedestrian access for a bunch of potential T patrons, the work did not end up in way that is at all commuter friendly. The main entrance to the station is on the opposite side where there is a big parking lot.

With the anticipated influx of more residents on this 'side of the fence', I would hope that they would at least put a real gate in the fence and paint a cross walk on the road.

I'd take and post some pictures of this but I am too dumb to figure out how to be able to.
 
buju b, thanks for the update! It's probably worth trying to get a hold of Dedham's transportation and/or planning department and let them know about the missing pedestrian connections. There is definite potential to have the developer of Legacy Place make public realm improvements as mitigation for their development.
 
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National, WS Launch 675,000-SF Legacy Place

By Joe Clements

DEDHAM, MA-One of New England?s most ambitious versions of the lifestyle center has taken a major step forward following yesterday?s groundbreaking here of Legacy Place. A crowd estimated at 350 people gathered to fete the start of the 675,000-sf project on a long coveted parcel whose potential is now being realized in the joint venture of National Amusements and WS Development.

?We?re thrilled to work with National Amusements and begin construction on this phenomenal project,? said WS Development President Jeremy Sclar as he detailed the years spent planning and designing Legacy Place to achieve ?the right architecture, the best tenants and the most enjoyable experience for the visitor.? The architect is Prellwitz Chilinski Associates of Cambridge.

Also speaking was National Amusements chief Shari Redstone who focused on the significance of the project?s moniker. ?With the fourth generation of the family joining in the business, it is indeed a legacy,? she relayed, adding, ?I look forward to working with our family, friends and partners at WS Development to bring a new era of shopping and entertainment to the region.?

National Amusements was founded by Shari Redstone?s grandfather, Mickey Redstone. The fourth generation was represented at the groundbreaking by Brandon Korff, Shari Redstone?s son and manager of corporate development for National Amusements.

Slated to open in summer 2009, Legacy Place has already locked in several national retailers and such lures as a 30,000-sf, two-level LL Bean and 60,000-sf Whole Foods supermarket. There is also a 25,000-sf Kings, a bowling and billiards emporium being rolled out by Boston nightclub maven Patrick Lyons. National Amusements is providing its new high-end concept known as Showcase Cinema de Lux, touted as a new era in the movie-going experience. The 15-cinema theater includes reserved seating, in-seat dining and a lounge area where patrons can relax before and after the show and enjoy a selection of appetizers and cocktails.

Dining options will also be prevalent outside the theater, with restaurants already on board including Aquitaine, Daily Grill, Legal Seafoods, PF Changs and Ruth?s Chris Steakhouse. The shopping experience will feature Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works, Clarks, National Jean Co., Stride Rite and Urban Outfitters, with more than 60 specialty stores in all expected to encompass the tenant roster. Legacy Place will also be home to the new world headquarters of National Amusements.
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Link
 
I drove by the site yesterday and the construction fence was going up around the property. Hopefully, we'll start to see some visible progress soon.
 
I have some pictures of this (and will take more as the work progresses) as well . . . anyone wish for me to send them to them so they can be posted?
 
They are forming up the foundations for what appears to be two relatively large (long) buildings now along the Enterprise Dr side of this property.
 
The demo of the old corporate offices for showcase (co-located on the site with the old cinema) is well underway, if not already complete.

Would have gotten some shots this weekend but the beach and golf course were calling Saturday and today was a bit too inclement.

They have also started building/pouring forms for a couple of other large structures.
 
There has been substantial progress over the last several week with many of the structures on this site. Tilt walls have gone up all over the place and an awful lot of structural steel has been erected recently.
 
^Thanks for the update. I know what it's like to post and have few responses (see: The New Bedford Thread). I drove by here about a week ago and was impressed with the progress. It too a lot of googling to figure out what I was driving by (I don't spend much time in this area), but one of the hits I got was this thread. So I'll be keeping a keen interest in this. Any chance for some pictures anytime soon?
 
LR,

My apologies. I have been a complete slacker with taking pictures of this and Westwood Station--I live 1.5 miles and 3.5 miles away, respectively, from each.

The Westwood station project, while behind Legacy Place in terms of the conspicuous construction progess, is a massive area (I fly in and out of Boston several times per week and often can spy these projects from the air). I hope it turns out halfway decent.

When I return early next week, I'll see what I can do about getting some pictures up.
 
I live close to both of these and am looking forward to the finished products.
 
buju b said:
When I return early next week, I'll see what I can do about getting some pictures up.
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And here they are. All photo's taken by buju b. Thanks again for the progress updates!
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from 11/1/08
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/11/01/center_of_attention/?s_campaign=8315

DEDHAM - Despite the national economic crisis and falling retail sales almost everywhere, one of the largest shopping centers in the inner Boston suburbs is now rising off Route 128 in Dedham.

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COMMENTS (6)
A year before its scheduled opening, the $100 million Legacy Place lifestyle center shopping and entertainment complex is already 95 percent leased, according to W/S Development Inc. of Chestnut Hill, codeveloper of the project with National Amusements Inc.

Located at the junction of Providence Highway and Route 128, Legacy Place is being built on the sprawling parking lot of the now-demolished Showcase Cinemas of Dedham. Steel frames of four of the seven buildings planned are now up at the busy construction site.

"This will be a unique project on the Boston retail landscape," said Brian T. Sciera, vice president of lifestyle centers for W/S Development. "We have a tenant mix that hits a sweet spot in the market."

The 760,000-square-foot open air center will feature 80 stores, eight restaurants, and a 15-screen movie theater complex. Retail tenants include L.L. Bean, Whole Foods Market, and Borders. Among the restaurants are P.F. Chang's, Legal Sea Foods, and Ruth's Chris Steak House. There will also be a King's bowling alley and nightclub.

Sciera attributed the project's leasing success to its desirable location on the suburban highway net work and its setting amid upscale suburbs south and west of Boston. He expects the center to draw from about a 7-mile radius, which includes the towns of Milton, Needham, Westwood, Dover, and Norwood, as well as Dedham.

Nationally, retail construction is down by more than one-third in the first half of 2008 from the same period last year, according to McGraw Hill Construction, which tracks trends in the industry. The US Commerce Department reported that retail sales have fallen for three consecutive months. September's 1.2 percent decline was the biggest monthly drop in three years.

The developers of Legacy Place appear to have benefited from good timing, according to Robert Sheehan, vice president for research for Keypoint Partners, a Burlington real estate company. "I'm sure they had commitments from tenants before the downturn. If they hadn't, it could be a problem," he said.

Sciera said none of the signed tenants have backed out because of financial difficulties. "We haven't had any fallout," he said. "I don't know if we'll be that lucky all the way through, but so far we haven't lost any."

Sumner Redstone's National Amusements, parent company of Viacom and CBS, is the longtime owner of property where Legacy Place is being built. National Amusements got its start with a drive-in theater on the same land 60 years ago, and built the Showcase Cinemas of Dedham on the site in 1973. National Amusements' corporate offices and a 15-screen flagship luxury multiplex will be key features of the complex, according to the developers.

There are no large shopping malls on Route 128 between Braintree and Burlington. The nearest large retail complexes to Legacy Place are South Shore Plaza in Braintree and Chestnut Hill Mall. Retail developers have been eyeing land along the southern half of Route 128 for decades, but most of the prime properties were acquired by high-technology firms and industrial users not long after the highway opened in the 1950s. A proposal for a mall near the interchange of routes 135 and 128 in Dedham met opposition from residents and environmentalists and was abandoned in the early 1990s.

Legacy Place's developers won town approval last year after promising traffic improvements and agreeing to promote the Dedham Square shopping district, a traditional downtown about a mile away.

The new shopping complex could eventually face some serious competition. Westwood Station, a residential community and office complex with a large regional shopping center, is being planned off Route 128, two exits away from Legacy Place. But Westwood Station's developers have yet to name any signed tenants. Wegmans, an upscale grocer looking to expand into the Boston area, is considering opening a store at Westwood Station, but legislation that would allow the store to sell beer and wine has been stalled in the Legislature.

Sciera said Legacy Place and Westwood Station have been vying for the same retailers. "The competition ended up being a good thing. It raised the attention to a national level," he said. "We are just playing offense at this point."

Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com.
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If what that article says about being 95% leased, I'm excited no matter how the development itself turns out.
 
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