Developments on, around ex-Papa Razzi site will boost food options — and maybe traffic

Two Elm Street development projects will bring new eating and drinking options to town — while potentially adding to existing traffic backups at the intersection of Route 2.

Two years ago, Acton developer Mark Pesce eyed the site of the Asian Gourmet restaurant for a new Dunkin’ and made a deal with the owners to buy the two-acre property.

“They were thrilled. They wanted to retire,” Pesce said during a recent visit to the site with his wife, Megan, an interior designer.

The Pesces are proprietors of MAP Holdings, a Acton business that now owns dozens of Dunkin’ shops in Greater Boston, including a handful in town.

“We live in Acton,” he said, “and we’re always trying to build stores that fit into the community well.”

The new store’s exterior will be white clapboard with brick accents, mirroring the town’s historic vibe. Inside, there will be couch seating, and outside, Adirondack chairs along the covered wraparound porch. 

“We are taking a Dunkin’ Donuts and turning it into something more,” said Megan. “It will be a comfortable destination.”

There will be no drive-thru.

Papa Razzi renaissance

On the adjacent lot, Crosspoint Associates is promising a 15,000-square-foot “neighborhood center” on the site of the shuttered Papa Razzi trattoria.

The new plaza will include Chipotle, Starbucks, Sally’s Apizza, and Citizens Bank.

“We are excited to bring this project to life and create a vibrant destination for the residents and visitors of Acton,” said Kerry McCormack, Crosspoint’s director of development.

McCormack said he is working through a list of items specified by the Planning Board, including exterior lighting, parking and waste disposal. He hopes to start the project in the next two or three months.

Both sites will have EV charging stations. Crosspoint’s project also shows a solar roof, an all-electric HVAC system, and other sustainable elements.

But McCormack said he is keeping the cupola and weathervane in homage to the HoJos that stood on the site for decades.

Expect delays?

Still, the lure of new businesses hasn’t met with townwide enthusiasm, especially among residents on or close to Elm.

“This will cause even more traffic than we already have on Elm Street,” said nearby resident Carol Bearse. 

“Often, the traffic is backed up from the rotary to the top of the hill,” Bearse said.

“As it is, whenever we have to travel westbound on Route 2 or 2A, we have to plan to leave before 3 p.m.”

Neighbor Linda Chin cited the need for more planning.

“Until the rotary traffic is redesigned, we are not in favor of increased traffic on Elm Street which backs up each afternoon, particularly if the new businesses encourage ‘pit stop’ traffic passing through town,” said Chin, citing the proposed “increase in pedestrian presence” near the rotary. 

“Until the urban planning issues are addressed, we are not in favor of the increased business presence,” she said.

Chin added that there is an environmental impact as well.

“Two major air quality [and] public health issues we face in Acton are the pollution from stop-and-go commuter traffic on Route 2 and Elm Street, and exhaust from the diesel-powered commuter rail as the trains accelerate upon departure from the two stops in Acton,” she said.

A recently released study of the Route 2 corridor conducted for the state Department of Transportation pinpointed serious — and worsening — traffic issues in and around the Acton rotary.

A public comment period on the Route 2 findings runs through July 25, with an online portal available at pima.massdotpi.com.