[[{“value”:”
Developers of The Vale in Woburn are seeking to reposition the 107-acre project as an entirely residential community, stepping away from earlier plans that paired housing with a large life sciences and manufacturing component. The pivot was outlined to local officials after the development team reassessed demand for the research and development and manufacturing space that had been envisioned alongside new apartments.
The original master plan for The Vale included research and development and manufacturing buildings totaling 900,000 square feet, in addition to multifamily housing. Leggat McCall Properties, one of the firms leading the project, has now proposed replacing that commercial portion with an additional 504 apartments, according to discussions with Woburn town officials cited by the Boston Business Journal. The change would turn The Vale into a fully residential development rather than a mixed-use campus anchored by life sciences and related uses.
Leggat McCall executive vice president Rob Dickey told Woburn officials that the research, life sciences and related industrial components of the project were conceived under very different market conditions from today. He noted that demand for those uses fell sharply just as speculative construction began, leaving the sector facing a long runway before the market could justify further new projects. Dickey characterized the previous development cycle as overzealous and suggested that it could take more than a decade for existing supply to be absorbed to the point where new construction would again be warranted.
The Vale is rising on a former Kraft Foods property that closed roughly a decade ago, marking a long-term repositioning of the site from legacy industrial use to residential community. The plan builds on several components that are already complete or open. The Delaney at The Vale, a 223-unit senior living community, began operations in 2024 and serves as one of the anchors of the emerging neighborhood.
In addition to the senior living component, three other multifamily buildings have been delivered within The Vale, expanding the project’s residential footprint. The development also features 75 Highland at Vale townhomes clustered within the site, adding a for-sale or townhouse-style housing element to the broader community mix. These pieces collectively establish The Vale as a significant residential hub on the remediated industrial property, even before the latest proposed apartment expansion.
The proposed shift away from research, development and manufacturing space underscores how changes in sector-specific demand can reshape large master-planned projects midstream. With life sciences and related uses now expected to experience a lengthy absorption period, the development team is repositioning the site to align with more durable housing demand. If town officials approve the revised plan, The Vale would transition fully into a large-scale residential redevelopment of a former industrial site, with a mix of senior living, multifamily buildings and townhomes.
The post Leggat McCall Converts Woburn’s The Vale From Mixed-Use to All-Residential Plan appeared first on CRE Market Beat.
“}]]
