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Memorial Drive Trader Joe’s may close, mayor says

Kimco Realty may redevelop Memorial Plaza, no formalized plans

The Trader Joe’s on Memorial Drive, one of the closest grocery stores to campus, may close due to property redevelopment at some point in the future, Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern wrote in an email to The Tech. Kimco Realty, which owns the mall Trader Joe’s is located in, plans to redevelop the space into a mixed-use housing and residential area, McGovern wrote.

“From what I am hearing they will have to leave. I do not know when exactly that would be,” McGovern wrote. “My information came from community sources who said that the site was being redeveloped.”

Kimco’s website also states that the Memorial Plaza property “offers an incredible opportunity to potentially redevelop within a very limited market of primary Greater Boston.”

However, Jennifer Maisch, Director of Corporate Communications at Kimco, wrote in an email to The Tech that “there are no plans for Trader Joe’s to close” and that “‘there are no formalized plans [for the redevelopment of Memorial Plaza] at this time.”

The manager of Trader Joe’s told The Tech in a phone call that while he could not offer comment in an official capacity, the store was unaware of any impending closure.

The Tech tried to call Trader Joe’s corporate media department several times, but was unable to make contact.

McGovern mentioned the possibility of Trader Joe’s closing at the Cambridge City Council meeting Jan. 8.