Canton Looks at Commerce Drive Property as Potential Highway Garage Location

A 4.75-acre property on Commerce Drive is the town of Canton’s current focus in the search for a new Public Works garage.

Wednesday evening, the Board of Selectmen unanimously authorized Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner to enter into a purchase and sale agreement of up to $225,000 for 325 Commerce Drive.

Skinner said talks with current property Canton Commerce Center Associates have been positive.

“It looks like they are favorable to the purchase price,” Skinner said.

The property has many positive attributes, Skinner said.

First is its less dramatic topography than 5 Cherry Brook Road, the last site the town had pursued.

He said site work is estimated at $1.25 million as opposed to more than $3 million estimated for 5 Cherry Brook.

Weston and Sampson has developed preliminary plans for the project (see attached) but those could change and were done for feasibility purposes, Skinner said.

The purchase and sale agreement would come with protections for the town, Skinner said. The agreement would need approval from the boards of selectmen and finance and the entire project would have to go through the land-use and public approval process.

Selectmen have long stated that there goal is to propose a bonding package with the garage and road projects this spring.

A $6.75 million garage project was originally slated to go to referendum last fall but was pulled after the appraisals came in lower than the purchase price. The road improvement bonding was also put on hold since it had been bundled with the garage project.

For several years the town has looked to replace its aging facility on Old Canton Road.