Forbes Crossing Starbucks Opening This Week

By Daniel Libon, Mansfield Patch, January 14, 2018

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The wait is nearly over for residents patiently waiting for the opening of the Forbes Crossing Starbucks.

A note posted last week on the entrance to the cafe at the Foxborough-Mansfield line reads, "We will be opening our doors early next week. Please come and stop in." The Foxborough Selectmen are scheduled to vote on a common victualler license renewal for Starbucks Tuesday morning.

The opening is earlier than the spring 2018 target Starbucks PR told Patch late last year.

When it opens, the location will have a drive-thru, 33 indoor seats, 14 outside seats, and a Moe's Southwest Grill next door.

New Moe's Opening At Forbes Crossing

By Daniel Libon, Foxborough Patch, November 2, 2017

FOXBOROUGH, MA — By the end of the month, you won't have to be at Patriot Place to hear someone yell, "Welcome to Moe's!"

Tuesday night, the Foxborough Board of Selectmen approved a common victualler license for the new Moe's Southwest Grill at Forbes Crossing, near the Foxborough-Mansfield line. The store will be operated by the same group that runs the Patriot Place location.

Moe's representative Jerry Blau said they are excited for the new location because of the proximity to the Cabot Business Park and nearby hotels. Unlike Patriot Place, this location will have a second line because they expect a large amount of catering and online orders.

Work at the restaurant is about 85 percent complete, with a target of opening by the end of November.

The Tex-Mex restaurant is joined by Starbucks and Hampton Inn by Hilton as the new tenants of the former Foxfield Plaza.

Forbes Crossing Construction Continues: Tenants Get Ready to Open

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. – Construction is near completion of the first pad site at Forbes Crossing with its two tenants – Starbucks Coffee and Moe’s Southwestern Grill – readying to open soon. Saletin Real Estate Group, developer, construction and property manager of the newly redeveloped mixed use center located on Route 140 in Foxborough,Mass., has been managing the construction, marketing, and leasing of the project. Formerly under the name Foxfield Plaza, the new Forbes Crossing includes 61,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a 139-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton, and three pad sites with two of them currently available for lease.

As construction manager, Saletin’s vice president of construction and management, Peter Dyer, has held a key onsite role in overseeing the work done on a daily basis, managing multiple contractors and subcontractors, as well as working with town and state officials, and the various utility companies. “We are getting near the end of the first phase of the redevelopment,” said Dyer, “We have completed the installation of all new underground utilities, storm water basins, site grading, most of the paving of the parking areas, and the installation of new LED site lighting. Construction of the buildings continues to be on schedule.” Presently, the new exterior of the strip has been completed and new signage has been installed on the exterior. Two new pylon signs were installed in July and a third pylon sign on Central Street will be installed soon.

In addition to the pad site opening, Fit Factory is expected to open its 26,500 sq. ft.fitness facility later this year. The four-story Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton will open in the first quarter of 2018. “We did everything we could to minimize disruption to our existing tenants who were open throughout the construction. They are excited about the changes to the center, as is the community," said Cris Crecelius, vice president of acquisitions and leasing, "No doubt, it will be bustling.” Located right off of Interstate 95, Forbes Crossing sits on 1.6 acres and is close to Cabot Business Park and Foxborough Business Park. This is Saletin Real Estate Group’s latest construction management project in its portfolio of work.

$625,000 state grant for roundabout at Forbes Crossing project in Foxborough

By Donna Whitehead, Wicked Local Foxborough, November 7, 2016

FOXBOROUGH - A roundabout will handle traffic at the entrance to the new Forbes Crossing development at the intersection off Foxborough Boulevard thanks to a $625,000 state grant.

State and local officials, including Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash, held a press conference to announce the Mass Works grant Friday, Nov. 4 at Foxfield Plaza on the Mansfield/Foxborough town line.

The grant will cover the majority of the project cost, Foxborough Town Manager William Keegan Jr. said. The town and developer, Saletin Real Estate Group of Cranston, R.I., provided the design work. Saletin contributed $75,000.

″(The roundabout) will allow people to flow into this space to enjoy retail aspects of this project - restaurants and shops, a hotel of 131 rooms right here behind us,” Polito said. “It’s really going to increase the economic value of this neighborhood and certainly bring more tax revenue to the rolls in Foxborough. And that all comes back to that point of community development and that’s certainly what we are partnering with you to see come to fruition.”

Ash said this was an opportunity to inject new growth into the local economy and create an “even more vibrant Foxborough” as well as and help business grow.

“The prosperity part of it is the part I get most excited about,” Ash said. ” The thought of the people who are going to be working here and the economic activity that’s going to take place as a result.”

“The investment we have here with Secretary Ash and the administration, Baker and Polito, this is really going to lead to very good things and new jobs,” state Sen. James Timility, D-Walpole.

State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, said Foxfield Plaza was one of the first shopping plazas in the area, dating back to the 1960s. He asked who remembered the Sears and Roebuck store where you could pick up the wagon or bike you ordered.

“To see the revitalization that is beginning to take shape is very impressive,” Barrows said.

Saletin Real Estate Group president Jeffrey Saletin described the plaza as a “old, tired, but very well located white elephant.”

Saletin said he expects his project will produce more development around it.

Officials cited the cooperation between state, local and private enterprise that made the project possible.

State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, described how Foxborough Selectman Ginny Coppola organized a bus ride for Mass Highway officials to see the traffic conditions in the area, which began the process for the grant.

“This is what public/private partnership means,” Saletin said.

“On the eve of the election day, people are looking for civility, for people to work together,” Polito said.

The project will include Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton hotel, a Moe’s Southwest Grill and a Starbucks. The Starbucks is expected to open in September 2017. Foxfield Plaza tenants Bangkok Café, Antonia’s Italian Cuisine and Edible Arrangements will stay on in the new development.

Work on the roundabout should being this spring with the goal of being complete before the hotel’s expected opening in November 2017, Keegan said.

Project of the Month: Saletin Real Estate Group leads transformation of Forbes Crossing and Hampton Inn & Suites

New England Real Estate Journal, June 24, 2016

Foxborough, MA There is nothing more satisfying than turning a tired, blighted shopping center into a new flourishing mixed-use development according to Jeffrey Saletin, president of Saletin Real Estate Group, a noted Massachusetts and Rhode Island developer, construction manager, and property manager. Such is the case with the old Foxfield Plaza located on Rte. 140. Purchased in September, 2015 by FM Partners, LLC,  Saletin Real Estate Group has been called on to give new life to the 10-acre site. The metamorphosis into the new “Forbes Crossing” is well underway.

“When we first saw the old center, we knew there was great potential,” said Saletin. “We are excited by its convenient location and strong demographics.”

Saletin Real Estate Group is spearheading the construction and leasing of the New England-style development. It will feature a four-story 139-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Hotel, three pad sites (one for a bank), and another 47,000 s/f of retail, including space for a junior anchor.

The hotel is being developed by FM Hospitality, LLC, an affiliate of FM Partners, LLC. Thomas DiPrete, a principal in the new development, is quarterbacking the hotel development process. A groundbreaking is scheduled for mid-July. “We are thrilled to welcome the world leader and standard setter in the upper-midscale lodging segment – Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Hotel –  to Forbes Crossing,” said DiPrete. The hotel will be managed by Marc Landry of High Road Hospitality.

“Community members and local officials are looking forward to the increased economic activity that this shopping center can add to the surrounding area,” said Saletin. He, along with attorney Frank Spillane of Spillane & Spillane, and Eric Prive, project manager at DiPrete Engineering, worked in conjunction with Foxborough officials to successfully achieve regulatory permits for the hotel, free-standing pad sites, and renovations to the existing retail strip building.

Leading the design team DiPrete Engineering of Dedham, Mass., is a civil engineering, planning and surveying firm. DiPrete Engineering successfully worked through the permitting process, completing land surveys, regulatory compliance, and site engineering

“We are excited to be part of this project,” said Prive. “The addition of new retail and restaurant businesses in this area will continue to add to a thriving community.”

No doubt Foxborough is thriving, as well as nearby Mansfield. Forbes Crossing is just one-quarter mile from I-95 and only one mile to I-495. It doesn’t get much more central between two major cities – 23 miles southwest of Boston and 18 miles northeast of Providence. The retail center is located across from the entrance to the 850-acre Cabot Business Park, one of the largest campus-style business parks in New England. Also nearby is Foxborough Business Park with tenants such as Meditech, Lockheed Martin, and GE, as well as hotels and 250 luxury apartments. An estimated 70,000 daytime employees work within a few minutes drive from Forbes Crossing. Gillette Stadium and Xfinity Center are just a 10-minute drive.

“The leasing activity has been extremely strong and is a clear indication that retailers believe in the location and the work we are doing,” said Cris Crecelius, director of operations at Saletin Real Estate Group. --“Both national and local retailers alike are excited about locating to our new development.”

Chris Mazzier, AIA, of Studio 401 Architecture, located in East Greenwich, R.I., is heading the architectural design, including one of the pad sites and renovations to the retail strip building while keeping an eye on giving it a “Main Street” feel.

The vision for the transformation includes improving visibility by opening up the view corridor from Rte. 140, where some 40,000 vehicles travel daily. The Foxborough Conservation Commission and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation worked alongside Saletin Real Estate Group to increase the shopping center’s visibility. Natural Resource Services, a Rhode Island environmental science consulting firm, was an integral part of the permitting process to complete this work and rejuvenate the wetlands in the vicinity of the development. That work has been completed and is clearly a key catalyst to the strong leasing demand.

Working with Saletin Real Estate Group and DiPrete Engineering is Pare Corporation, traffic engineer, transportation and design firm, who provided traffic analysis. GZA GeoEnvironmental and Sage Environmental round out the site design team. BankRI provided financing for the project. 

“Forbes Crossing is off to a really great start,” said Saletin. “The site work is well underway, demolition and renovations to the existing retail strip building have begun, and leasing activity is very strong. We have leases signed with both national and local retailers and restaurants, and have no doubt the Forbes Crossing will be very successful.”

Foxfield's Transformation to Forbes Crossing Continues

By Daniel Libon, Foxborough Patch, June 6, 2016

FOXBOROUGH, MA - The redevelopment of Foxfield Plaza is underway as the Cranston-based Saletin Real Estate Group continues work on the Forbes Crossing Project.

The developer says that visibility work and tree clearing has been completed. The work was part of an effort to make the site clearer to see from Route 140.

"Visibility is important for this plaza," Jeffrey Saletin, president of Saletin Real Estate Group said in a release. "Its location has the potential to attract activity in the area, and businesses will appreciate the increased visibility from a busy highway."

When complete, the 10-acre site will include three pad sites, over 46,000 square feet of retail space, and a 139-room Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Hotel. Some retail spaces remain in the renovated complex, with building renovation underway.

Forbes Crossing is located on the Foxborough-Mansfield town line. The area is 11 minutes from Gillette Stadium, 10 minutes from the Xfinity Center, and across from Cabot Business Park.

Forbes Crossing in Foxborough seeks retail, restaurant tenants

Wicked Local Mansfield, June 4, 2016

The Cranston, Rhode Island-based Saletin Real Estate Group is redeveloping a 10-acre site at 369 Central St., Foxborough, to be transformed into a new mixed-use development called Forbes Crossing.

Development will include the addition of three pad sites, more than 46,000 square feet of retail space and a 139-room Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Hotel. There has already been significant pre-leasing at Forbes Crossing, and renovations of the existing retail building have commenced. Saletin Real Estate Group is currently marketing for lease the few remaining opportunities to occupy available retail and restaurant space at the development.

Saletin Real Estate Group has also begun enhancing the visibility of the plaza from Route 140. Completed work includes tree clearing and visibility improvement, which will increase interest in the plaza for both tenants and future customers. The Foxborough Conservation Commission and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation worked alongside Saletin to provide these improvements.

“Visibility is important for this plaza,” said Jeffrey Saletin, president of Saletin Real Estate Group. “Its location has the potential to attract activity in the area, and businesses will appreciate the increased visibility from a busy highway.”

The redevelopment site is within miles of world-class businesses and entertainment venues, including Gillette Stadium and the Xfinity Center.

“Community members and local officials are looking forward to the increased economic activity that this plaza can add to the community,” said Saletin.

For help with the design, Saletin Real Estate Group has teamed up with DiPrete Engineering to complete land surveying and site engineering.

“Saletin Real Estate has proven to be an excellent leader on this project,” said Eric Prive, project manager at DiPrete.

DiPrete Engineering leads the design team, which includes GZA GeoEnvironmental, Sage Environmental, Pare Corporation, Studio 401 Architecture and Natural Resource Services, through the permitting process.

“We are excited to be working on this project,” said Prive. “The addition of new retail and restaurant businesses in this area will continue to add to a thriving community.”