Group Announces Plans for $12 Million Entertainment Facility Minutes From Wilmington

A group of businessmen announced they have reached a purchase and sale agreement to buy the Motel Caswell property on Route 38 in Tewksbury in order to demolish it and build a 45,000-square foot entertainment facility minutes from Wilmington that they hope to open in 2015.

Donald MacLaren Jr. and his son, Donny MacLaren, joined Steve Bourgeois during a press conference to announce that they agreed to buy 4.83 acres of land where Motel Caswell sits for $2.1 million.

In total, they plan to spend about $12 million, including the cost of the purchase, to develop the land into an entertainment facility called Wamesit Lanes. The business will include 32 lanes of ten-pin bowling with eight private VIP lanes, a state of the art arcade, and a golf simulator.

There will also be an upscale restaurant and bar that will feature indoor seating and outdoor patio dining with fire pits and bocce courts.

Developers believe the project will bring 80-100 new jobs to Tewksbury, including 40 full-time positions.

“We hope it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Donald MacLaren, who owns Tewksbury Welding. “This will bring a lot of jobs to town and a good product as well. None of this would be possible without the Caswells. I know they get a lot of bad press, but the bottom line is they want what’s best for the town.”

Donald MacLaren called this the “hardest kept secret” he could imagine as he worked to meet informally with the Tewksbury department heads in recent weeks. He added that developers wanted to keep the plans quiet to make sure he could provide an accurate proposal when the time was right.

Next up, the group will begin the official process of meeting with the town's Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. If there are no delays, the plan is for the facility to be open by the summer or fall of 2015.

Donald and Donny MacLaren are longtime Tewksbury residents, as is Bourgeois. The trio said it was important for them to bring something of substance to their hometown.

“That’s been a real motivating factor for us as longtime residents,” said Bourgeois. “We view this as not just a good thing for the town, but also as something that’s going to be a really good thing for the area.”

Though the group looked at about 30 properties in the area, there were only two properties they had serious interest in. Motel Caswell was their first choice, with a second location under consideration further down Route 38.

Key to the Motel Caswell location was its nearby access to I-495, which is just minutes away.

Tewksbury Town Manager Richard Montuori said that the plans seem feasible after going through the informal process with the developers. He added that a traffic study will be performed, they are double-checking an existing sewer line in the area, and there are some issues that need to be worked out with the state regarding sidewalks and a crosswalk.

While he has not crunched the numbers yet on a potential financial impact on the town, Montuori said he believes this will be a positive addition to the business community.

“I’m guessing the proposal would bring in more revenue based on taxes and additional meals tax to the town, along with job generation,” said Montuori. “I can’t quantify a financial impact, but providing jobs to people in the community is always a positive thing. I see nothing but positives being a part of this.”