PEABODY — The City Council’s Legal Affairs subcommittee voted unanimously Tuesday to give Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. the authority to approve a purchase-and-sale agreement (PSA) for the 10 Lowell St. property, the site of Brodie’s Pub.
The project will now go before the full City Council for a final vote on Thursday, March 10.
The agreement would allow for the downtown site to be sold to Brodie’s Pub owner Michael Votto for reconstruction of the entire property. Votto is a Peabody resident, president of Votto Properties, LLC and has owned Brodie’s for 11 years.
“I have a proposal in the City of Peabody to hopefully renovate the entire building, from the foundation all the way up with a complete brick exterior to resemble the rest of the downtown,” said Votto.
The proposed plans for the site included a complete reconfiguration of Brodie’s Pub on the first floor, including constructing a dining area enclosed in a glass atrium that would be used year-round. The restaurant would be able to accommodate more than 100 people with the renovations.
The construction would also make the building handicap accessible with an elevator and ramps, and would include the reconstruction of the two top floors of the building. Votto’s sister would move her hair salon and day spa to the second floor, and the third floor would be used for office space. The outside of the building would be completely renovated with brick to match the landscape of downtown.
The project will cost approximately $2.28 million.
The city owns the 16 Lowell St. property — where Brodie’s Backyard currently sits — and will work on a long-term project to create an open-space area for public use on this site.
The City of Peabody bought the 10 Lowell St. property on Feb. 1, 2018 from Northfield Group for $425,000, with the intention that it would be used for open space. However, Brodie’s stayed in that location and the building has been owned by the city since.
“We have made the decision, and I have made the decision that times have changed, we have to look at different directions, and for a number of reasons I thought it would be best to put the property out for sale and to see what came back as opportunities for the City of Peabody,” said Bettencourt.
The request for proposals (RFP) for the building was published on July, 28, 2021 for $425,000. The bids were due by Sept. 8, 2021.
The property is worth the appraised value of $355,600 — $166,800 for the land and $188,800 for the building. The city received one bid from Votto for $450,000.
Ward 2 Councilor Peter M. McGinn raised questions about flood insurance on the property, as the property sits in an AE flood zone — meaning it presents a 1-percent annual chance of shallow flooding.
“Thinking about this extensively, I just need to know that the respondent would own all the risk, and I’ve kind of come to a place to believe that they would own all that risk, and the city would be off the hook if that does happen,” said McGinn. “Hopefully the design will be robust enough that it will be resilient.”
Kenneth Segal, a partner with the accounting firm LGA, said the flood insurance has been accounted for.
McGinn said he thought the presentation was great, but is afraid of seeing the pretty pictures of the project now, which could end up being a “bait and switch.” He said he doesn’t anticipate this to be the scenario, but in the case that it is, McGinn requested that a contingency be made for a right of first refusal to sell the property back to the city at a reasonable price if the project falls through and the property goes back on the market.
“When I do a project, I go above and beyond, and do more than most people do,” said Votto, “so the idea of the question of, ‘Will I do it to the standards of that presentation?’ I’m going to do it above that presentation, and I have a pretty good track history of that, and it has been noticed by other developers.”
Votto said as far as the contingency goes, that is something the attorneys can work out, but he said he doesn’t see a problem with it. He added that there is no question that this is a project he is going to finish and it will be something the city will be proud of.
Councilor-at-Large Thomas Rossignoll asked if Brodie’s would have to shut down during renovations and if so, approximately how long the pub would be closed.
Votto said the plan would be to stay open as long as possible and start demolition on the other spaces — the upstairs, pizza shop, and former The NexMex Restaurant. “Eventually we’re going to come to a point where we are going to have to shut down Brodie’s to do the structural work underneath the building and also the mechanicals inside the building,” said Votto.
Votto estimated that Brodie’s would be shut down for about 10 months when the time comes.
Rossignoll said there are a number of things happening downtown and he believes this project is going to be one cornerstone to match “2 Washington St., to go along with the children’s museum that was just voted on last week, and I think now that we have all the information that we were looking for, I think this is a fantastic project and I wish you well,” he said.
Ward 3 Councilor Stephanie Peach said she thought it was a great presentation and she looks forward to supporting it.
Councilor-at-Large Tom Gould said he is in full support of the project, and can’t wait to see what the final product is.
“If it’s anything like the final project, we’re in for a nice landmark there,” said Gould. “Good luck, Mr. Votto.”
Bettencourt said that Brodie’s provides an anchor for the section of the city, and he believes it improves the landscape of that corner of downtown. Keeping the restaurant in its location keeps the meal-tax revenue, and selling the property increases the city’s income in real-estate taxes by $18,000-$20,000, said Bettencourt.
“Every city and town is looking for successful pubs and restaurants,” said Bettencourt. “I think it would be a big mistake to have Brodie’s move to another location.”
