Developer proposes Taco Bell, retail for Fairhaven Mills site

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photo courtesy of city planning board Above is a rendering of the proposed development by the Dickinson Development Corp. at the old Fairhaven Mills site. The existing Market Basket is seen in the background, while the proposed retail building is shown in the foreground with a Taco Bell at right. The existing mill structure is shown at left.

By NATALIE SHERMAN

June 08, 2012 12:05 AM

NEW BEDFORD A Taco Bell and 1-story retail space has been proposed for several sites at Riverside Landing, a prime development spot near the Acushnet River that city officials have been trying to remake for more than half a decade.

The Dickinson Development Corp. plans for the old Fairhaven Mills block come after two years without construction in the plaza, where a popular Market Basket opened in 2010 after the controversial demolition of the historic mill.

The proposal, which goes before the Planning Board Wednesday, shows an 11,723-square-foot retail building on Coggeshall Street with space for six offices, including a Verizon. A smaller, 2,600-square-foot Taco Bell franchise situated slightly to the north would include a drive-through.

The plans, which would add buildings to a strip that already includes a McDonald's, a privately owned mill structure and a 7-Eleven, are in line with what Dickinson put forward in 2007 when the city agreed to sell its portion of the 14-acre property to the Quincy firm, said acting City Planner Jill Maclean.

"This is more or less what they proposed from the beginning," Maclean said. She said the design also reserves green space for the display of public art, likely a sculpture.

"That corner will be a very attractive gateway into what is a very, very highly visible development in the city," New Bedford Economic Development Council Director Matthew Morrissey said, adding that the new businesses should add at least 60 jobs to the area.

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Developer proposes Taco Bell, retail for Fairhaven Mills site