Market Basket
just across the Merrimack River on Wood Street.
The 14-acre complex, which also includes about 12,000 square feet of retail space and over 400 parking spots, is located at 677 and 705 Pawtucket Blvd., at the intersection with Old Ferry Road. Though the store isn’t open yet, Google Maps already includes it in maps of Lowell.
The chain didn’t mention specific hours for the new store in a tweet, Facebook post and Instagram post announcing the news, but since late May, all Market Basket stores have been open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with senior shopping hours from 6 to 7 a.m. No one from the chain could immediately be reached to clarify whether the Pawtucketville store will open with different hours, or senior hours first.
The chain has no immediate plans to close the Wood Street location just across the river, but spent about $15 million on clearing land and developing the new store in an area its realty arm, DSM Realty, bought in 1977. The site has long sat vacant since the years when it was Lowell Drive-in Theater, which closed in about 1980.
While the JJ Boomers restaurant had initially planned to stay open on the site, those plans changed late year after major flooding in the basement and other issues arose.
The area has also undergone several improvements aimed at helping traffic, which was the primary concern of neighbors who have already spent years speaking up about Rourke Bridge traffic issues just a block away. The store was also built with flood-resistant materials and with other measures in place, since part of the site is in a potential flood zone for the Merrimack River.