Walgreens Development Plan
Targets
National Register Historic District
in Rockland, Massachusetts

Walgreens withdraws Rockland project following TODAY Show appearance!

On June 17, 1999, Rockland's Walgreens battle was featured on the TODAY Show. Within hours after Katie Couric summed up the drugstore development issue with guest Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, by saying "so, in your view they are 'paving paradise to put up a parking lot,'" word came that Walgreens corporate executives had withdrawn the proposed development that threatened the Rockland Historic District. For the full report of the TODAY Show appearance, please click here.

NEWS

NEWS: A proposed Walgreens drugstore site tops the 1999 list of the most endangered historic places in America, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Drawing attention to "the corner of Main & Main," the new site development strategy of national drugstore chains, the National Trust has put a spotlight on Rockland, Massachusetts, and other historic sites threatened with demolition by developers working for the chains.

This is a national crisis for historic preservation in small towns: drug store corporations have changed their development plans from building in commercial developments at the edges of towns to siting new "big box" stores and parking lots on prominent corners in town centers. They have shown a disregard for existing historic buildings in acquiring new sites, and demolitions have included commercial buildings, a Beaux-Arts post office, and period houses. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has prepared a booklet on the drug store developments - see below.

Bird's Eye View of the Town of Rockland, Mass., 1881
Rockland Historic District is Highlighted
Proposed Walgreens location is circled in red

 

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AT RISK:

Rockland Historic District, two buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and one adjacent residence are threatened for demolition for a Walgreens. These buildings form the cornerstone of the historic district, and they include the Jenkins Lane house at 5 Union Street, built in 1840 by a prominent shoe manufacturer (and former state legislator), and the Richmond Lane House at 21 Union Street, built in 1874 by another shoe manufacturer and banker (both locations are in Rockland).

Such significant losses could jeopardize the status of the National Register district, and they would have a serious negative impact on the quality of the neighborhood and local property values.

 

31 Union Street, abutter to the proposed Walgreens site, and 21 Union Street, the Richmond & Sarah Lane House, built in 1874, which is proposed to be demolished to be the location of the new Walgreens. Photo credit: Robertson Communications, Fred Robertson, copyright 1999.	5 Union Street, Jenkins Lane House, built in 1840, which is proposed to be demolished to clear land for the parking lot and sign of the new Walgreens. Photo credit: Robertson Communications, Fred Robertson, copyright 1999.

ALREADY LOST IN NEARBY TOWNS:

South Congregational Church in Brockton, dedicated in 1854, was torn down in 1993 for a Walgreens (this was by Leo Noonan, the same developer working for Walgreens on the Rockland project.) In an article by Marilyn Hancock in the Brockton Enterprise (March 13, 1993), she writes "The former South Congregational Church, whose future was hotly debated for two years, was the city's only federally registered landmark and was considered a cornerstone of the South Street Historic District in the Campello section of Brockton." As a concession to the community, the bell was retrieved from an architectural selvage dealer and mounted in front of the drugstore, along with a plaque commemorating the historic church.

Masonic Temple and two antique houses in Randolph, torn down in 1998 for a Walgreens.

AT ISSUE:

Developers for the drug store chains are paying above market rate for properties in high visibility locations. They have been successfully targeting historic properties to acquire large parcels in town centers. Two projects now under review will demolish significant buildings from National Historic Districts and build incompatible developments in their place.

The developers claim to be independent of the stores who are signing on to lease the locations, and spokespeople for the national corporations claim that there is no directive from their offices to target historic buildings or districts for demolition. However, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has noted this trend in New England and in other regions. Walgreens corporate web site lists criteria for development of new locations; it is a criteria drawn for suburban sites in the midwest and west that is incompatible to the historic character of New England town centers.

Contrary to the denial of corporate involvement, Leo Noonan, developer for the proposed Rockland Walgreens, stated in a public meeting February 17th, that "Walgreens looked at and turned down other sites in Rockland. This is the site where they [Walgreens real estate executives] thought they could be a success and a value to the town." In his own words, the Rockland National Historic District has been targeted by the corporation for demolition.

 

South Union Street, Rockland, Mass., Period View Proposed Walgreens site at the right.

 

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PROJECT STATUS - ROCKLAND:

On February 17, 1999, the Rockland Zoning Board unanimously rejected the application for building the Walgreens development in a residential R-3 zone, under the guise of a by law permitting "neighborhood convenience stores" in the district. The developer claimed that other commercial uses were grandfathered into the current zoning and into the historic district setting a precedent that would permit their proposed use of the site, and they also requested a special permit for an oversized sign to be erected on the location. The developer also claimed that there was "no interest" in this area in a building of the architectural style of 21 Union Street (a French Second Empire residence), but he found an interested purchaser in Virginia willing to disassemble and relocate the building. He felt this would help preserve the historic integrity of the property. At this meeting it was noted that the "neighborhood convenience store" exception is allowed in all residentially zoned districts of Rockland, and if the precedent was set by Walgreens, then 15,000 square foot retail boxes with parking for 70 cars could be put on any residential street in town. Nearly 200 people turned out to oppose the Walgreens proposal at the February 17, 1999 zoning board meeting. Video tapes of this meeting are available. On March 19, 1999, the developer filed suit in District Court by the developer against the Rockland Zoning Board to overturn their ruling.

Robert Looney, the attorney for the developer, has argued that the zoning board's denial of their application "was error as a matter of law and fact and that the Board exceeded its authority" and that "the Board's decision was arbitrary and capricious." Mr. Looney, who is directing the suit against the Rockland Zoning Board, himself serves as an alternate on the East Bridgewater Zoning Board. His telephone number is: 781-878-6600. The legal suit against the Rockland Zoning Board was filed at District Court, Hingham Division (telephone 781-749-7000). Docket number 9958CV0207. The civil court clerk stated that they "don't get many of these at the court, honestly." The court hearing will be open to the public and media, but a date has not yet been set as of 04/7/99. The architect for Walgreens, Steven Moeser of Moeser & Associates Architects of Harvard, Mass., lives and works in a community known for having one of the strictest zoning regulations against commercial development in Massachusetts. His telephone number is: 978-456-6905. The developer is Leo Noonan, Susan Elleen Realty Trust, 727 N. Montello St., Brockton, MA. telephone: 508-588-7834. Walgreens Corporation is expanding with 400 new stores nationwide in 1999, with a goal of 3,000 stores by the year 2,000. Please express your concern about Walgreens corporate real estate expansion that puts historic buildings at risk to: Laurie Meyer, Director of Corporate Communications, Walgreen Co., 200 Wilmont Road, Deerfield, IL 60015 Telephone: 847-914-2925.

Lane's Corner, "Jenkins Lane Homestead", Rockland, Mass., Period View
Proposed as the parking lot for new Walgreens.

 

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Text of Lawsuit

Decision of the Rockland Zoning Board

South Union Street, Rockland, Mass., Period View
The proposed Walgreens will be on the site of the Richmond & Sarah Lane House at the left, with a drive-up window approximately in the same position as the side window on the house.

 

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Other people to contact:

L. Daniel Jorndt, CEO
Walgreen Co., 200 Wilmont Road
Deerfield, Illinois 60015

David W. Bernauer, President and COO
Walgreen Co., 200 Wilmont Road
Deerfield, Illinois 60015

William A. Shiel, Senior Vice President - Facilities
Walgreen Co., 200 Wilmont Road
Deerfield, Illinois 60015

Mr. Thomas L. Bergseth, Director, Facilities Planning and Design
Walgreen Co., 200 Wilmont Road
Deerfield, Illinois 60015

Link to Walgreens Web Site: Store Location Criteria: http://www.walgreens.com/comp/realest/realcritinfo.html
Real Estate Information: http://www.walgreens.com/comp/realest/realindex.html
Walgreens History: http://www.walgreens.com/hist/history.html

Preservation and Legislative Alert, "Drugstore Chains are Proliferating Across the Country" from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation: http://www.phlf.com/phlfnews/alerts

Link to The National Trust for Historic Preservation Web Site: www.nationaltrust.org

Bibliography of information from The National Trust for Historic Preservation:

"Walgreens Drugstores and Communities" prepared by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036

"When a Chain Drugstore Proposal Comes to Town" by Anne Stillman, available from the Northeast Regional Office, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Seven Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, MA 02109 telephone: 617 523-0885

"Historic Preservation, forum news" (a newsletter of the National Trust for Historic Preservation) September/October 1998, Volume 5, Number 1, "Chain Drugstores on Main Street," by Anne Stillman.

"MainStreet News" (the monthly periodical of the National Main Street Center, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation November 1998, Number 148, "When Chain Drugstores Come to Town," by Anne Stillman, with additional writing by Linda Glisson.

"How Superstore Sprawl Can Harm Communities (And What Citizens Can Do About It)" by Constance Beaumont, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Information Series. 202 588-6296.

A New Historic Preservation Information Booklet is available:

"Better Models for Chain Drugstores"

"Over the past couple of years, chain drugstores have proliferated across the country. The large, single-story, characterless architecture and oversize parking lots have cropped up on America's beloved Main Streets, as developers bulldoze historic buildings that get in the way. Yet with the right planning and zoning regulations in place, some communities have successfully worked with corporate chains to integrate new drugstores into historic commercial districts. This new publication from the National Trust's Information series, "Better Models for Chain Drugstores," provides examples of drugstore projects from across the country that complement the historic character of the community.

"This booklet also suggests ways to implement preservation-friendly regulations that empower communities to work with the chains before the bulldozers come to town. Available Jan. 1999.

"The booklet costs $6.00 for individual copies including postage and handling. Discounts are available for bulk orders.

"For a complete catalog listing of other preservation titles, please call 202 588-6296 or visit our web site at www.InfoSeries.com." Look under "Check out our latest publications!" Infomation on ordering copies can be found on their web site.

Filed in District Court, Hingham Division

Docket Number 9958CV0207

Received Town Clerk's Office, Rockland, MA March 19, 1999

Susan Elleen Realty Trust, Leo Noonan, Trustee, Plaintiff

v.

Joseph Bouchard, Anton Materna, Peter McDermott, Robert Manzella, and Rita Howes, as members of the Rockland Zoning Board of Appeals, Defendants

1. The Plaintiff, pursuant to M.G.L. Ch. 40(A), Sec. 17, appeals the decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Rockland ("Board of Appeals") denying the Plaintiff's application for a special permit under M.G.L. Ch. 40(A) and the Rockland Zoning By Laws.

2. The Plaintiff, Susan Elleen Realty Trust, Leo Noonan, is a trust entity duly recorded with a usual place of business at 727 N. Montello Street, Brockton, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

3. The Defendants are Joseph Bouchard, 191 Liberty Street, Rockland, MA., Anton Materna, 416 Market Street, Rockland, MA., Peter McDermott, 132 Higgins Rd., Rockland, MA., Robert Manzella, 21 Manzella Court, Rockland, MA., and Rita Howes, 390 North Avenue, Rockland, MA., all as members of the Rockland Zoning Board of Appeals.

4. The jurisdiction of this Court on this matter is derived from M.G.L. Ch. 40(A) Sec. 17.

5. The Plaintiff has duly executed the Purchase and Sale Agreements on the properties located at 5 Union Street, 21 Union Street, and 202 Market Street, Rockland, MA. Said properties make up the Locus in this matter.

See copy of Locus attached hereto and marked Exhibit A.

6. the Locus is located in an R-3 district which allows a neighborhood/convenience type commercial facility by special permit under Section IV. Permitted Uses of the Zoning By Laws.

7. The three parcels that make up the Locus currently have a residence (21 Union Street), a rest home (21 Union Street) [sic], and a vacant house (202 Market Street).

8. Directly abutting the locus is a single family dwellng [sic] on the Union Street side and a medical office, which had received a special permit, on the Market Street side.

9. Across the street from the Locus is a gas station, a plaza, a restaurant, and a multi/family dwelling.

10. The locus is approxiamtely [sic] 72,000 square feet. The proposed building is approximately 15,000 square feet. Union Street is a main street through downtown Rockland and Market Street is at that location, a state road known as Routes 123 and 139.

11. The Plaintiff filed a written application for a special permit and variance (regarding signs) under Sec. V(G)(5) and V(G) and Sec. IV. See copy of application attached hereto and marked Exhibit B.

12. In accordance with M.G.L. Ch. 40(A), the Board of Appeals held a public hearing on the Plaintiffs application on February 17, 1999. Said hearing was duly advertised and proper notice was given.

13. On February 17, 1999 the Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to deny the Plaintiffs application for a special permit.

14. On March 2, 1999 the decision was recorded in the the [sic] office of the Rockland Town Clerk. A certified copy of the decision is attached hereto and marked Exhibit "C".

15. The Plaintiff is a person aggrieved, within the meaning of M.G.L. Ch.

40(A) Sec. 17, by the decision of the Board.

16. The decision of the board to deny the Plaintiffs application exceeded the Board's authority and was arbitrary and capricious.

WHEREFORE, the plaintiff respectfully prays that the Court:

1. Hear all pertinent evidence and determine the facts.

2. Determine and adjudge that the Board of Appeals decision to deny the Plaintiffs [sic] application was error as a matter of law and fact and that the Board exceeded its authority.

3. The Board's decision was arbitrary and capricious.

4. Annul the decision of the Board of Appeals.

5. Grant such further relief as justice and the rights of parties may require.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Elleen Realty Trust,

By its attorney,

Robert T. Looney, Esquire.
For Geogan & Geogan, P.C.
379 Union St., P.O. Box 313
Rockland, MA 02370
(781) 878-6600 Fax: 871-8786

Dated: March 19, 1999

From the TODAY Show, June 17, 1999

Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Katie Couric discussed the National Trust's annual list of the eleven most endangered historic sites in America. At the top of the list are: 3. Treasure Island Immigration Buildings in San Francisco Bay, decaying from neglect; 2. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, threatened by urban sprawl; and 1. the Corner of Main and Main - national chain drugstore developments in historic town centers.

Katie Couric: "Talking about urban sprawl, the Corner of Main and Main. Explain that situation and why it tops your list."

Richard Moe: "Well, that's a good news, bad news story. The good news is that people are coming back to Main Street and the drug store chains are following them, and this will help revitalize many of these deteriorated downtowns. The bad news is that they're targeting the corner of Main and Main and if there happens to be an historic building there, they're inclined to tear it down. And this destroys the historic character of downtown, all over."

Katie Couric: "We're looking at video..."

Richard Moe: "We are looking at video of Rockland, Massachusetts: two wonderful Victorian houses which are threatened by a Walgreens store which is just totally inexcusable and inappropriate. And this is happening in many communities. Walgreens alone is adding 3,000 stores in the next 10 years."

Katie Couric: "So in your view they are 'paving paradise to put up a parking lot.'"

Richard Moe: "Absolutely. They put up these formulaic cinder block stores that have no character, that are surrounded by asphalt; drive-thru facilities."

Katie Couric: "So you're urging communities to find the proper balance; you're not saying stop all development. You're just saying..."

Richard Moe: "That's right. We want them to come downtown, but work with communities, adapt themselves to these existing buildings. You know, Banana Republic and Starbucks and other chains do that. They work with communities, they work with existing buildings. The drug store chains could do the same thing."

Katie Couric: "All right. Well: Dick Moe; President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Thanks so much for coming by."

Richard Moe: "Thank you Katie."

Katie Couric: "Nice to see you. And we'll be back with more of TODAY."

WASHINGTON - Drugstore chains are tearing down historic landmarks as they target centers of small towns for new stores, the National Trust for Historic Preservation said yesterday.

Topping the organization's annual list of the 11 most endangered sites in the United States was what the group generically called "the Corner of Main and Main-Nationwide." Thousands of buildings may be involved, said Richard Moe, the trust's president.

"While promising discussions are under way with CVS and Rite Aid, unless executives of all chain drugstores make a commitment to adapt their shortsighted strategies, America's Main Streets could be turned into cut-rate versions of suburban strip malls," the trust said in a statement.

"Walgreen's alone is planning to double its stores to 6,000 in the next 10 years," Moe said at a news conference. "They're savvy retailers and they look for the busiest spot - that's often where the town's oldest buildings are."

Moe said the trust is trying to persuade the chains to restore old structures instead of destroying them.

Walgreen's is in court trying to replace two houses in Rockland, Mass., built in 1840 and 1874, with a 15,000-square-foot store and parking for 56 cars, Moe said. Both homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Michael Polzin, a Walgreen's spokesman, said his firm targets intersections, not historic buildings. Sometimes the buildings are too small for the company's plans, he said.

'We try to redo old buildings, but it has to make economic sense,' Polzin said.

Walgreen executives met with the preservationists in April, but no other meeting has been scheduled, he said.

The 10 other sites on the trust's list include the auditorium of Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska, that state's oldest school; Traveller's Rest, a campsite of the Lewis and Clark expedition in Lolo, Mont., andcountry estates on River Road in Louisville, Ky.

ROCKLAND -- Two historic houses in Rockland that the Walgreen chain wants to tear down to build a drugstore have become the poster-child for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The intersection of Union and Market streets and similar street corners in cities and towns across the nation top the National Trust's annual list of the most endangered sites in the country. The proposed Walgreen's site in Rockland is one of many in what the National Trust generically calls "the Corner of Main and Main.''

Walgreen's is in court trying to replace two Union Street houses built in the 1800s with a 14,000-square-foot store and 70 parking spaces. Both homes are on the National Register of Historic Places. The plan also calls for demolishing a house on Market Street.

Rockland and part of a now demolished historic site in Nashville, Tenn., will be featured at 10 p.m. Thursday in a one-hour television special called "America's Most Endangered'' on the History Channel.

Producers of the show were in Rockland Monday morning conducting interviews on the site with two residents opposed to the project, Peter Dow and John Burrows, both of Union Street. The two answered questions from National Trust President Richard Moe, who was at a news conference in Washington.

"We're concerned about the impact of this development on the district itself, since it's a residential area,'' said Dow, whose 1854 Italian-style Victorian home sits next to the site of the proposed drugstore. Dow also is a member of the town's historic commission.

Dow said he's also a father with a young baby and wife who chose to buy and restore the house so he could raise a family. He said living a few feet from a busy parking lot isn't what he envisioned when he bought the house 2 1/2 years ago.

The site is known as Lane's Corner, named after the family that was at the heart of the shoemaking and leather industries for which the town was once noted.

Dow said the Lane family built their homestead, now the Tiffany Rest home, in 1840 at 5 Union Street and one of the two homes that would be demolished if the drugstore is built. The family built the second house at 21 Union St. in 1874, the same year Rockland was founded. The family also built several other nearby houses.

Burrows said the opponents of the drugstore are not opposed to Walgreen's. "It's just the site,'' he said. "Our hope is that they will find another location more suitable.''

Linda May Ellis, who lives four houses up from the proposed Walgreen's fears a domino effect if the drugstore gets its way. She and many other residents say a drugstore would lower property values.

"If (Walgreen's) tears down two houses, what's next? The owner of the next house up will sell his home, and it will happen all the way up the street until all the houses are gone,'' said Ellis, who lives at 65 Union St. She and her son are the third and fourth generation of her family to live in the house.

Moe, the National Trust president, said the situation in Rockland is being repeated all over the country. He referred to it as the drugstore invasion.

In Weymouth, neighbors are fighting Osco Drug's plans to demolish seven houses in Central Square, which was placed on the national historic register in 1992, to put up a 13,650-square-foot store on 1 1/2 acres.

In Marshfield, Osco agreed in 1997to pay $10,000 to move the 1835 house of the town's first historian to a new location.

This is the 11th year the National Trust has released an endangered list. Moe said that of the 102 sites that have appeared on the list since 1998 not one has been lost. This year's list contains 11 sites.

"Walgreen's alone is planning to double its stores to 6,000 in the next 10 years,'' Moe said."They're savvy retailers, and they look for the busiest spot. That's often where the town's oldest buildings are.''

Michael Polzin, a Walgreen's spokesman, said his firm targets intersections, not historic buildings. Sometimes the buildings are too small for the company's planned megasites, he said.

"We try to redo old buildings, but it has to make economic sense,'' he said.

The 10 other sites on the trust's list include the auditorium of Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska, that state's oldest school; Traveler's Rest, a campsite of the Lewis and Clark expedition in Lolo, Mont., and country estates on River Road in Louisville, Ky.

The trust says that among the sites it has saved it began its campaigns in 1988 is Washington's 180-year-old Congressional Cemetery, where Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, composer John Philip Sousa and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover are buried.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this story.

Copyright 1999 The Patriot Ledger

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