For most of the past nine years, the question about the boarded-up building at 88 West Park St. has been which grocery store would replace Price Chopper. That question no longer applies. When the current owner bought the property this year, the purchase agreement barred leasing the space to any business that sells "food products for off-premises consumption," according to documents from the Middle Berkshire Registry of Deeds cited by The Berkshire Eagle.
The town's interest in the 1.75-acre lot now centers on other things. Those include parking on a Main Street that has little of it, possible green space, and a road that would give police, fire and ambulance crews a second way out of the new public safety complex being built on Railroad Street. That is why the lot is still on Lee's agenda this winter, even with no grocery store in the plans.
How a Grocery Store Dropped Out of the Plans
The building was built in 1960 for the Lee Super Market chain. Price Chopper took it over in 1972, and The Golub Corp. bought the property in 1986. Golub closed the store in 2017 as it converted Price Choppers to its Market 32 format and said the 17,000-square-foot building was too small. The Berkshire Edge reported at the time that the last day was July 29, 2017.
The first redevelopment plan still included food. In 2018, Great Barrington-based Benchmark Development proposed tearing the building down and putting up a mixed-use project with affordable housing and commercial space, including a food market. Lee changed its zoning to allow a building above the town's 35-foot height limit, and the change took effect in May 2019. The purchase agreement with Golub was never finalized, and the plan fell apart.
After that, the property was held up by a dispute over a few rows of parking. In 2020, Zabian's Fine Jewelry, which sits next to the lot, filed suit claiming a right to keep using spaces its customers had parked in for decades. The suit ended in an undisclosed settlement. In February 2026, M. Zabian Five Corporation bought the whole property for $1.35 million.
That sale brought the deed restriction on food sales. Town Administrator Christopher Brittain told the Eagle that residents had made a "big push" for a new grocery store. Even without the restriction, he said, one was unlikely, because the town had contacted several grocery chains and none showed interest.
The Price Has Moved, and So Has the Reason for Buying
With a grocery store off the table, the lot is worth less as a place for a store and more as land the town could use. Here is how the asking prices and offers have moved this year:
| Figure | Amount | Source and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed value | $750,000 | Land $280,500, structure $469,500, per the Edge, Sept. 2026 |
| Owner's purchase from Golub | $1.35 million | February 2026 |
| Town's first formal offer, declined | $1.9 million | Disclosed at the April 7, 2026 Select Board meeting |
| Negotiated town purchase price | $2,316,000 | Before the Sept. 1, 2026 Select Board meeting |
| Proposed appropriation from the stabilization fund | $2.5 million | Finance Committee vote, Sept. 9, 2026 |
| Bid to demolish the existing building | $300,000 | Cited in the Finance Committee discussion, Sept. 2026 |
| Asking price | $3 million | As reported in Sept. 2026 |
According to The Berkshire Edge's reporting on the Finance Committee vote, the gap between the February purchase price and the September sale price covers about $600,000 in legal fees the owner paid to acquire the property and the cost of demolishing a building now in disrepair.
Brittain told the Eagle the town planned to demolish the building and use the land for parking or public green space. Town Planner Brooke Healy later described one option as green space with the parking area kept for town visitors.
Why the Deal Stalled This Fall
The negotiated deal ran into trouble over the parking lot that borders Zabian's Fine Jewelry and the Morgan House Inn & Restaurant. As The Berkshire Edge reported on Sept. 2, Select Board members tabled the purchase-and-sale agreement on Sept. 1. They said the signed version from the seller's attorneys differed materially from what the two sides had negotiated. The seller's side described the revisions as added detail.
The disagreement was about how to divide the shared lot. Under the town's draft, the first row would be reserved for customers of Zabian's and the 15 tenants in that building, the town would get access to the rest, and the owner would keep an easement over the whole area. The returned contract described the shared space by length and width instead of by parking spaces.
On Sept. 9, the Finance Committee voted 5 to 1 against recommending $2.5 million from the town's general stabilization fund for the purchase. Pat Carlino cast the only yes vote. "I think we're overpaying for a piece of property," Finance Committee Chair Sue Kelley said, according to the Edge. Treasurer Jennifer Gagnon explained that the withdrawal would drop the fund below the $25 million it is required to hold. That fund helps pay interest on the bond for the new public safety complex.
On Sept. 15, the Select Board sent the Oct. 1 Special Town Meeting warrant out without the purchase. "We've gone back and forth, and we're just not ready to bring it to Town Meeting at this point," Chair Bob Jones said, as the Edge reported. Voters approved all four articles on the official warrant, covering sewer reimbursement, fleet mechanic equipment, water and sewer bylaws, and a clean energy zoning bylaw. Jones said another Special Town Meeting is planned for February, and the purchase may come back then.
The Building Going Up on Railroad Street Raises the Stakes
The public safety complex is the main reason a road through the lot matters. According to the Edge's Sept. 10 report, buying the site could allow a public road that runs directly to the new Lee Public Safety Complex and connects to Consolati Way. It would give emergency crews a route other than Route 20 and Main Street.
The complex is well along. The Berkshire Eagle reported on Nov. 7 that the $36.7 million, 37,661-square-foot building is on schedule and under budget. Crews expect it to be weather-tight by the end of November so work can continue through the winter, and it is on track to be mostly complete by August 2027. "Knock on wood, but we're under budget," Brittain told the paper. The town lists its future address as 49 Railroad Street.
The building is meant to fix problems residents can see today. The Police Department works out of Town Hall, where people who are arrested have to be escorted along Main Street. The town had to custom-order smaller fire trucks to fit the current station. The new bays are large enough for fire trucks and ambulances to drive straight through without backing in. The complex is going up where the Department of Public Works building used to stand.
What the Lot Already Does for Downtown
The lot already serves the town. In June, the Select Board approved an agreement letting Lee use it for local events such as Founder's Day weekend "until the property is sold or the parties are notified otherwise." The Finance Committee's debate showed why that arrangement matters. Carlino pointed out that if the property sold to another buyer, a car dealership being one example, the parking could be lost to public use. Healy said many uses are allowed in the downtown district.
These are the ideas that have been publicly discussed for the site:
- Demolish the building and create green space, keeping the parking area for town visitors.
- Build a public road from the site to the new public safety complex and Consolati Way.
- Lease the site to the Lee Youth Association, which has looked at it for its preschool, sports and after-school programs. That would only happen if the town completes a purchase.
Each of these depends on the town owning the lot. The next chance for a vote is the Special Town Meeting planned for February, by which time the public safety complex should be closed in for the winter on Railroad Street.
If you're following how the West Park Street site and the Railroad Street project could change parking and traffic downtown, and what that might mean for your property, Katie Soules and the team are glad to talk through the details with you. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
