WOONSOCKET – Renovations of the old Woonsocket Sears store on Diamond Hill Road into a new grocery market should finally be advancing shortly, says Mayor Chris Beauchamp, but he’s making no guarantees.
Asked Thursday for a progress update or if he’s heard from the developer, he said he speaks to the owner of the plaza and the owner of the market almost every day.
The two told him delays were due to some factors related to finances, said the mayor, and those have now been reconciled, according to them. Active permits are on file at City Hall, according to the mayor.
“I’ve seen them,” he told The Local Insider.
Beauchamp commented in April that the Daily Stop Supermarket opening would at that point more likely happen by fall, instead of by spring as was indicated last year. He said this week he’s no longer giving timetables, but has been assured that the work will now at least be progressing at a faster pace.
According to those behind the project, people will be in the building next week for some more demolition, Beauchamp said, and then the owner of the market and the owner of the plaza said they’ll start building out the new market.
Unfortunately “money is money” and some people backed out of the project, among other issues, said Beauchamp.
“I get it, but don’t lead us on with signs, because I can’t keep putting up signs saying it’s coming in spring and coming in fall,” he said.
The owners of the proposed market started paying a lease last April, when they indicated they expected to be open by last fall.
The constantly postponed deadlines have led to plenty of speculation among city residents about whether the project will ever get done.
Beauchamp said in the spring that the permits were in hand, the inside of the former Sears had been gutted, and they expected to open by the middle of the summer. He said then that he thought a more realistic timeframe was a fall opening, but wasn’t banking on it.
A visit Thursday showed some progress on the interior.
The footprint of the grocery store is expected to be about 40,000 square feet, 10,000 more square feet than the existing vacant store.
Daily Stop, which is also announcing another new store coming to Brockton, Mass., markets itself as delivering “all your daily needs, under one roof.”
Its arrival in the Diamond Hill Road area would be a big boost for a section of the city that previously saw a big traffic decline after the departure of Lowe’s and Walmart for neighboring North Smithfield, but that have seen new stores arriving of late.
WHP Investments LLC, of Cranston, purchased the plaza from Walnut Hill Holdings LLC early last year, and owners later promised significant improvements to transform it into a vibrant commercial center again. Among other upgrades, Walnut Hill Bowl has had a top-to-bottom renovation into a family entertainment center.
