ITEM FILE PHOTO
Peabody City Hall.
BY ADAM SWIFT
PEABODY — The city is still in the running as a potential location for a Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) branch.
The owners of the Bonkers shopping plaza at 535 Lowell St. were one of two bidders on a state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) request for proposals to replace the closed RMV branch at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers. The second location under consideration is on Dunham Road in Beverly.
In June, the state shuttered the Danvers location due to the extensive work needed to upgrade heating, cooling and ventilation systems.
Even before the doors were officially closed at the Liberty Tree Mall, state Rep. Thomas Walsh (D-Peabody) led the call for the state to take a hard look at Peabody for a new RMV site.
“It’s no secret to the RMV that I would like to see it in Peabody,” said Walsh. “But the final decision on the merit of the bids is now up to the state’s Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, he said.
The Peabody bid was made by Yebba Realty Ventures of Wakefield, which owns and is planning a major redevelopment of the Bonkers Plaza.
“I’m pleased that the group placed a bid,” said Walsh, noting that the plaza is close to the highway and would be convenient for customers across the North Shore.
Yebba bought the plaza for $5.75 million in 2013 and plans to rebrand the renovated shopping center as Peabody Commons.
“I think this is a positive step for their development to reinvent the property and positive for Peabody residents and residents across the North Shore,” said Walsh.
Walsh said the developers will be able to build out quickly on Lowell Street.
“Since the Liberty Tree Mall branch has closed, it has forced residents to travel further for services,” he said.
As DCAMM weighs the merits of the two sites, the RMV has expanded hours at its Revere and Wilmington branches and is encouraging customers to go online.
Adam Swift can be reached at [email protected].