JACKSON SQ.—The Latino grocery store chain that was considering moving into 225 Centre St. in a controversial move has withdrawn from negotiations.
Developer spokesperson Dave Traggorth announced the change at last night’s Jackson Square Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting. The CAC is a City-appointed group that reviews redevelopment in the area.
The supermarket made the decision “right around the holidays,” Traggorth said. “It was an internal business decision to focus on their existing stores.” Traggorth did not name the supermarket.
The decision was made right around the time the Gazette reported on protests against the supermarket by the Hyde/Jackson Square Business Association (HJSBA). HJSBA claimed a Latino grocery chain could compete with local bodegas.
Traggorth said, “There are no other Latino-oriented markets interested in the space at the moment.”
Mitchell Properties and The Community Builders (TCB), the developers for the project, are talking to other business owners in the area for suggestions as to what complementary businesses could move in, Traggorth added.
The 225 Centre building, going up next to the Jackson Square T Station, also will contain apartments. Slated to open next summer, it is the first part of the redevelopment of 11 acres of Jackson Square property by a team of developers.
Both TCB and Mitchell Properties are headed by Jamaica Plain resident Bart Mitchell. The project’s website is 225centre.com.