USA, MA: Medusa Brewing Company could open another facility in Hudson

With the goal of further revitalizing downtown, Hudson town officials want to use the potential $5.5 million expansion of Medusa Brewery to shake loose some state grant money, the MetroWest Daily News reported on August 1.

Town officials plan to apply for a $2.5 million MassWorks grant to help fund reconstruction of the downtown rotary and improvements to South Street, which runs parallel to the thriving Main Street business community.

That’s the public part.

The private investment includes $5.5 million to expand the Medusa Brewing Company. The brewery has operated a taproom at 111 Main St. since March 2015 and plans to expand the operation to what is now a vacant lot at 1 Houghton St., according to town officials. The company has not yet submitted its plans to the town.

Hudson Planning and Community Development Director Jack Hunter mentioned the company’s plans at a Board of Selectmen meeting on July 31.

To bolster the town’s MassWorks application, Hunter hopes to get commitment letters from the owner of Medusa Brewery and Charles Randall, a real estate developer in town who was recently approved for a $5.5 million mixed-use development on South Street.

The brewery expansion and real estate development together represent $11 million in private projects that would bookend the planned rotary and street improvement projects.

Medusa co-founder and media liaison Keith Sullivan recently declined to comment about the expansion plans. He could not be reached for comment on August 1.

Town officials were also unwilling to speak about the details of the brewery expansion plans, but said more information would be made available once the MassWorks grant application is submitted on Friday.

The 1 Houghton St. property, is a quarter-acre vacant lot owned by Alexandre Santos, according to the town’s real estate database. The land is just around the corner from Medusa Brewery and behind T.C. Lando’s.

Randall’s plans for 7 South St. are already fully approved by the town, Hunter said. That project could get going as soon as the fall.

On the flipside, Medusa has yet to apply for any permits with land use boards, but Hunter said that should happen by the beginning of next year.

03 August, 2017