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ORLEANS, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Cape Cod's abandoned underground shopping plaza could be the next new neighborhood in Orleans. Last week, town officials gave Maple Hurst Builders approval to begin demolition of the mall to start the construction of a new rental housing project.
The Cape Cod underground mall formerly known as Bayberry Plaza sits hillside on the intersection of Route 6 and Route 6A in Orleans and was purchased by Maple Hurst Builders July of 2021. The company purchased the 3.65 acre site for $2.1 million with the intension of turning it into housing units.
"Our goal is to repurpose the building itself, the structure, into garage parking," said Maple Hurst Builders President Chris DeSisto.
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MHB plans to turn the underground space of the property into a parking garage and the large outdoor parking lot into the housing units. In the current construction plan, the company plans to build about 43 one and two bedroom apartments.
In a meeting with the Affordable Housing Committee, DeSisto said he envisions the project will be "affordable" workforce housing because of the units' smaller size and location suggesting lower rent. DeSisto went on to say that he envisions five apartments to be reserved for official Affordable Housing.
Some possible amenities might include commercial space, a community room, and day care services. Developers plan to build three modern cottage buildings on the property and use energy efficient construction with solar photovoltaics.
WBZ's Tim Dunn (ConsiderMeDunn) reports:
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