Plans are taking shape to transform the long-vacant site at Highland and First Avenues into a mixed-use development featuring two restaurants and two boutique retailers.
The development, named One First at Needham Crossing, is at the site of the former Acapulcos restaurant that closed in 2019, and is owned by James McManus of Fox and Hound Properties of Holliston. Boston-based architecture firm and design studio SPARC is handling the design phase of the project.
Longtime Needham resident Haril Pandya is a co-founder and co-owner of SPARC with Aksel Solberg, though that’s not what led to their work on the project. “It’s just a happy coincidence,” said Solberg.
The design work dates back to 2021 when Solberg was with a previous firm. He said his experience with retail space development was important because this site has a challenging geometry to create a workable scheme for the buildings, the street front and vehicle circulation.
“That’s a pretty prominent intersection where you enter into that innovation district where all that office use is.” He and Pandya have been adjusting and refining the design, layout and mix of features for the 8,500 square-foot space while McManus has been seeking tenants.
Who those tenants will be is not finalized, but Solberg described the expected four businesses as a restaurant with a patio, a fast-casual dining experience, a boutique retail sales shop and a technology retailer.
In a press release McManus said, “Transforming this property into an attractive, thriving mixed-use space was our goal from the start, and with SPARC, we have a design partner that will help us get there.”
The next step for Solberg and Pandya is to create the construction documents that will need to make their way through the town’s review and approval process.
The property is being developed in partnership with Feldman Development Partners of Boston and is projected to open in 2027.
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