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August 4, 2005

Jeremy Schwab

Whether the Four Corners business district in Dorchester becomes a bustling commercial area or continues to stagnate could depend on a looming decision by local businessman Andre Medina.

Medina, a Cuban American and owner of local grocery chain America’s Food Basket, appears to be backing away from a plan to open a new location in Four Corners.

Medina told the Boston Globe recently that plans for the move were “up in the air,” citing concerns that it might take business away from his Upham’s Corner store. He could not be reached for comment before the Banner went to press.

Neighborhood organizers envisioned the supermarket as an anchor for the struggling business district, hoping it would attract regular customers and lure other retailers to the area.

Currently, hair salons, churches and eateries dot the streetscape, and some vacant lots remain undeveloped. Community members say they need more diversity of businesses.

“We need a drug store, a bank, a shoe store, different kinds of stores to attract more people,” said Fontes Barber Shop owner Eduardo Fontes, a longtime property owner in the area.

But Medina’s uncertain plans call into question the viability of a community vision for revitalization crafted at neighborhood meetings and released last year by the nonprofit Four Corners Main Streets.

The plan calls for development to be focused around two nodes, one at the corner of Washington and Bowdoin streets, the other further down Washington where it meets Eldon Street.

In between would be residential development, ideally affordable housing, that would not clutter the commercial areas but would contribute to the revitalization of the neighborhood.

The plan hinges on two major developments: the establishment of a supermarket in the commercial district and the construction of a planned commuter rail station nearby on the Fairmount Line.

The city has had discussions with another mid-sized grocer interested in coming to the location if Medina pulls out. But Mayor Thomas Menino said he hopes to convince Medina, reportedly a long-time political ally, to come to Four Corners.

“We work with [Medina] every day,” Menino told the Banner last week. “We have other folks interested in coming in.”

As for the planned MBTA station, the design for the stop will not even be completed until late in 2007, said MBTA officials cited in the Dorchester Reporter, and funding has not yet been allocated.

Besides Medina’s indecision, other aspects of the community vision are not going as hoped. In the zone along Washington St. that the plan says should be for residential development, building owner Joseph Pizziferri plans to sell his 260 Washington St. property to developer Showcase Enterprises, according to the Dorchester Reporter.

The developer reportedly plans to build a strip mall there with parking in the front, a design that irks Four Corners Main Streets Director Shelly Goehring. She said the Boston Redevelopment Authority and community members want the developers to put the parking in the back, a situation which is more conducive to foot traffic.

“At this point, the BRA has denied their plans,” said Goehring.

Another factor hindering activists and city officials’ attempts to encourage development in the commercial district is the high rents charged by some landowners.

Rates in many buildings range from $18 to $26 per square foot, according to Goehring.

“It is their right,” she admitted. “If someone is going to sign a lease and pay it. It’s private property. But rents are pretty high for the area in which they are located. It’s alarming.”

The Irie Four Seasons Ice Cream Store closed in June after the owner, Sonia Satchell, found out her rent would go up, according to the Dorchester Reporter. Her rent reportedly started at $1,250 per month when she opened shop in 2001 and was already up to $1,600.

Despite all the potential pitfalls, Goehring expressed hope that the long-range plan envisioned by community members can still become a reality.

“We think the plan is actually realistic,” she said. “We are not trying to fill the entire commercial district with retail. We’re just trying to concentrate on the two nodes.”

Some signs of revitalization have been seen in recent years. Last week, Menino joined in the ribbon-cutting for two new renovated storefronts on Washington Street.

Four Corners Main Streets has used city funds to renovate 11 storefronts in recent years in an effort to modernize the look of the business district.

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