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An aerial view of the former Western Electric plant in North Andover.
Entrance to what is now known as Osgood Landing in North Andover. (File photograph.)
Correction: An earlier headline on this story suggested Methuen has joined the coalition of communities trying to bring Amazon to the Merrimack Valley. As the story indicates, Methuen has been invited to join.
The parking lots could once again be full at what was once the Merrimack Valley Works of Western Electric as officials eye it as the hub of a future Amazon headquarters.
Ozzy Properties, owner of the sprawling North Andover property received word Wednesday afternoon the site could be the centerpiece of a proposal to lure Amazon’s second national headquarters to the Valley.
“We have a lot of land and could easily construct a new facility. I don’t know the specs of the building they want, but rents in North Andover are a heck of a lot better than Kendall Square,” Ellen Keller, Ozzy’s vice president of commercial real estate, told WHAV. Keller explained the company received a telephone call about the potential from the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission—the regional agency spearheading the multi-community Amazon pitch.
Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini said he was present when the call was made to Ozzy Properties.
“That would certainly be one of the sites that would be absolutely awesome for this,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Merrimack Valley coalition, which already included Haverhill, North Andover and Lawrence, invited Methuen and Andover to join Wednesday, Fiorentini said. He explained the thread connecting all of these communities is the railroad.
Admitting the area’s pitch might fall short, the mayor said, the marketing effort surrounding the proposal is already helping the Merrimack Valley.
“No matter what happens, we’re already generating a buzz in this area with real estate brokers calling WHAV, calling our office, calling Ozzy Properties, with people interested. We want to tell people about the $200 million in new investment in downtown Haverhill. We want to tell people about the best restaurant zone in Haverhill, north of the North End with 22 great restaurants. We want to tell people about the waterfront dining here in the City of Haverhill. We want to tell the people about that. This is our chance to sell Haverhill and our chance to sell the region.”
While Ozzy Properties was already aware of the Amazon search, Keller said, the company has been focused on its Valley Green Grow proposal. That plan is to develop a medical cannabis research and cultivation operation.
Keller told WHAV the suggestion for her property was forwarded to the property’s owners for evaluation. “Everyone is excited. It would be just an extraordinary win for the Valley. Just phenomenal,” she added.
The former Western Electric plant is a 157-acre campus with more than two million square feet of space. Ozzy properties purchased it in 2003.
Hey mayor, are you going to tell them about the parking taxes you created and want to raise? Are you going to tell them about the meals tax you imposed on Haverhill restaurants? Are you going to tell them about the car you bought and people you hired to drive around downtown to ticket as many cars as possible as a new revenue source for your failing administration? Are you going to tell them about the pay to play no bid deal you cut with the Fish Family to build Harbor Place? Are you going to tell them how you got sued by a downtown property owner for attempting to take his building by eminent domain for the sole purpose of selling it to a buddy developer for a profit? Are you going to tell them how a city councilor who owns a restaurant downtown tells people privately that her restaurant has been “devastated” by your policies downtown? Are you going to tell them you put so many cops on duty downtown on a weekend night because of the crime there that it looks like a military occupation? Are you going to tell them about the Ward Hill business owners group who says they never hear a word from you unless it’s when you’re looking for money? Are you going to tell them about the city being overrun with criminal invaders you welcome to the city and are raping young girls in city parks and having shootouts at Little League games? Go ahead…tell them about all you’ve done.