Hell in the Market Basket

The Central Plaza Market Basket is slowly going through a move and renovation project at the plaza, and it can't happen soon enough.

Interestingly, we were talking about the Market Basket this weekend with a new Fitchburg family. They move in this week, but have already been warned to stay away from the Market Basket. Mrs. Save Fitchburg occassionally visits there, but wisely doesn't let us know when she does. The few we've been there haven't been impressive, and you can smell the pot from the parking lot pretty much every trip in.

So, Market Basket is going to move to the front of the complex, tear down some empty buildings, and work with the police to create a safer Central Plaza.

The quicker, the better. Central Plaza is a no-man's land that sets off a bad vibe for downtown. If you're coming to Downtown Fitchburg for the first time on Route 12 (which is likely), that's you're first impression of the city core. Ugh.

Central Plaza, and the Market Basket, can fulfill a major need in the city. Certainly, it would be easier to go there than Hannaford's from the train station to home, but the unfortunate reality is that is a distasteful option at this point. That's an area that needs to become a impressive gateway to the city center, not a signal that the city is in the dumps.

Certainly, Market Basket has done very well in Fitchburg. But it's encouraging to see a business drop some money into the city. Real estate developers are starting to invest in the city, but mid-sized to large business has yet to follow. As the condo developments move forward and Central Plaza and other rehab projects become reality, hopefully bigger investment follows.