 FRAMINGHAM, MA— Stonegate Group, a real estate developer with residential and commercial properties in Massachusetts, has installed a 1,070 kilowatt (kW) solar energy system atop its 92 Blandin Avenue property. Taylor Consulting and Contracting helped facilitate the project and the sale of the Net Metering Credits generated by the project to HallKeen Management for use by two of its Affordable Housing buildings in Massachusetts.
The industrial building at 92 Blandin Avenue was recently renovated and features approximately 147,773 square feet of commercial space. “The economics of Solar energy on the roof are terrific,” says Sean McGrath, President of Stonegate Group, “and we’re very happy about being able to provide renewable energy resource to Affordable Housing buildings that cannot go solar otherwise.” “The array definitely helps set us apart from other properties in the area,” McGrath said. “It’s also an advantage to let potential tenants know that the solar array offsets the carbon footprint of 199 cars commuting to work.” In addition to providing renewable energy resource for HallKeen’s Affordable Housing buildings, Stonegate is now able to take advantage of state and federal tax and financial incentives, including Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs), which are financial incentives based on the amount of solar energy a system generates. Electrical utility providers in Massachusetts purchase SRECs to help them meet their state-mandated goals which require that a percentage of their power comes from renewable energy sources. “Stonegate has been very forward-thinking in its decision to include solar in the renovation plans of this and other properties,” said Bill Riordan, President of Taylor Consulting & Contracting. “Taylor Consulting & Contracting is happy to be able to assist Stonegate’s team to help evaluate, procure and realize this and other solar investments across its portfolio.” “The 1,070-megawatt solar rooftop system will generate 1.34 MWHs/yr. of clean energy every year and an estimated 31.53 MWHs of clean energy over the life of the system,” said Riordan. “Two of HallKeen’s largest Boston Affordable Housing assisted living buildings will benefit greatly from the Net Metering Credits generated by the site over the life of the system,” says Jesse Curll, Senior Asset Manager of HallKeen Management. “These two assets would never have been able to take advantage of energy cost savings from solar programs in Massachusetts otherwise.” “With this and other properties, solar is but one example of how Stonegate Group is combining its established real estate expertise with the importance of increasing solar energy in the Commonwealth,” McGrath said. Funding for the project was provided by Middlesex Savings Bank. Is there any better way to beat the Summer heat than a refreshing sno cone? With the help of our expert sno cone makers (Wendy & Kate) our youngest residents at Park Village enjoyed the frosty treats to celebrate the end of the school year & the beginning of Summer Vacation!
Written by Henry Schwan for Wicked Local Natick on June 9, 2018. Edited for space purposes  Photo courtesy of Buttercup A husband-and-wife team opened a restaurant in Natick. It’s their second venture into the restaurant world.
NATICK – The owner of the town’s newest restaurant needs a double shot of espresso in the morning. Dora Tavel-Sanchez Luz made it herself, standing behind the bar at Buttercup, 13 West Central St. in Natick Center. It gives her a boost of energy to get through a long day. Luz gulps down a quadruple shot over ice later in the day, a few hours before Buttercup opens for dinner. She needs both because her days are jammed-packed with duties, including running her other restaurant, The Farmhouse in Needham. Luz was dressed in a Farmhouse sweatshirt and sweatpants while working Thursday morning at Buttercup. She said she works out every day, eats a healthy salad for lunch at The Farmhouse, and lives on only a couple of hours of sleep nightly. Strong espresso must be her secret ingredient. Business and life partner Luz’s business and life partner is her husband, Gabriel Sanchez Luz. They met in New York City while Dora pursued an acting career. That lasted 12 years, and to help pay the bills, Dora worked as a waitress. In one of those restaurants, Gabriel worked in the kitchen, and a love connection formed. They eventually moved around – the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, then to Mexico where Gabriel grew up. Over time, they had two children, Sophie and GianMarco. Then it was time to move back home. Dora grew up in Wellesley, and she and Gabriel saved up enough money to start a restaurant. They opened the Farmhouse five years ago. The Buttercup opened last week, and both locations are “super busy,” Dora said. Farm-to-table Both are farm-to-table establishments, a popular trend in the local restaurant scene. When asked what separates her restaurants from the competition, Dora said she and Gabriel have a close relationship with several local farms. Gabriel’s dishes have a French influence, and Dora pointed out his sauces are not overpowering, which can be the case in some French cooking. Gabriel’s specialty is fish, especially center-cut Halibut, and it’s on the Buttercup menu. There are also fish tacos, short ribs, and what Dora called “delicious” chicken. Buttercup’s interior is divided between a bar area and a dining room, and there’s an outdoor patio with seating. Total seating capacity throughout is more than 100, and Buttercup has a 10-year lease in the refurbished American Legion Building. Two features in the interior excite Dora – an original brick wall from the American Legion Building and a barn door that hides the less glamorous side of the restaurant business. It’s where cleaning supplies are kept. Passion Farm-to-table makes sense for Dora, because her passion is farming. She and Gabriel live in Framingham, where they run Sun Washed Farm, a three-quarter acre plot on their property that supplies vegetables in Buttercup’s dishes. For now, Dora and Gabriel don’t have much time to do anything but tend to their restaurants and their kids. However, Dora does have what she called a “pipe dream.” She loves her farm in Framingham, but would one day like a bigger one. There’s also a second dream – she wants to own a cow. “I do want that cow, maybe two, and they need to be black and white,” Dora said with a smile.  WESTBOROUGH – Stonegate Group is pleased to announce that the façade rehabilitation of the historic Arcade Building at 1 West Main Street in Downtown Westborough is well underway.
The Arcade Building is a mixed use three-story, Richardsonian Romanesque-style commercial block constructed in 1890 to meet the demands of a growing downtown business district. The red brick and brownstone building, which is prominently situated overlooking the downtown rotary, is a centerpiece of Westborough’s West Main Street Historic District. The sensitive rehabilitation work planned for the building involves the exterior only, including cleaning the brick and brownstone, selective repointing the masonry as needed, replacing the mid-twentieth century storefront materials to better resemble the configuration seen in historic photos, and most excitingly the recreation of the original brick and masonry rooftop parapet that was removed and last seen high on top of the building in the early-twentieth century. “We are pleased and excited to restore new life into the Arcade Building, a building that has been a significant part of the fabric of the Westborough community for over 125 years” noted Sean McGrath, president of Stonegate Group. The historic façade is being rehabilitated under the guidance of the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Parks Service. Work on the Arcade Building began in April, 2018 and is scheduled to be completed in June, 2018. All four shops located on the retail level of the building will remain open during construction. The ladies of Park Village enjoyed their last bingo night so much that we decided to hold another one! We had a terrific turn-out and everyone enjoyed the games, snacks and the company of their fellow residents. We're looking forward to getting together again very soon!  Some of Westborough's finest visited the littlest residents of Park Village for our Annual Safety Day on April 21st and a fun time was had by all! The kids learned how to keep themselves and their families safe and were even able to sit in the fire trucks and police cars! Thank you again to the Westborough Fire & Police Departments for taking time out of your busy schedules to pay us a visit. We can't wait until next year!
 There was a lot of excitement at Park Village in Westborough for our 1st Annual Talent Show on April 19th, where our residents were the stars of the show!  On Wednesday March 28th, the ladies of Park Village in Westborough had a great time at our fun-filled Bingo Tournament. The room was filled with laughter and good times - no one wanted to go home! We're looking forward to hosting another bingo night later this year! FRAMINGHAM – The outlook for Stonegate Group, LLC is bright as it kicks off 2018 with a high-energy rooftop solar installation at the Stonegate Industrial Park located at 92 Blandin Avenue in Framingham. Construction on the massive 1 megawatt (MW) rooftop solar panel system (approximately 3,500 panels) began in mid-December of 2017 and is expected to be completed by mid-March of 2018. A collaborative effort by a number of professionals and trades, the panel installation on the +/- 160,000 square foot rooftop is being coordinated by Green Street Power Partners (GSPP) Development Inc., a subsidiary of Green Street Solar Power, with assistance from Swinerton Renewable Energy. Paul Reilly, director of Renewables & Energy Efficiency Programs at Taylor Consulting & Contracting, provided his years of experience in green technology to Stonegate Group, and assisted in their solar panel decision. “Once completed, the 1 MW solar rooftop system will generate 1.3 MWHs/yr. of clean energy every year and an estimated 31 MWHs of clean energy over the life of the system," Reilly explained. Sean McGrath, president of Stonegate Group, noted, “The amount of clean energy generated by this one project equals a reduction in annual CO2 emissions equivalent to that of 100 Massachusetts homes.” “This new endeavor is but one example of how Stonegate Group is combining its established real estate expertise with the importance of increasing solar energy in the Commonwealth,” McGrath said. Funding for the project was provided by Middlesex Savings Bank.  written by Brian Benson, originally published in the Metrowest Daily News on December 27, 2017. NATICK - Food aficionados will have a new reason to visit Natick Center next year as a new restaurant prepares to bring fresh food from the farm to diners’ tables.
The restaurant, to be called “buttercup,” will fill part of the recently renovated and expanded former American Legion building at 13 West Central St. Dora Tavel-Sanchez Luz and her husband, Gabriel Sanchez Luz, hope their latest eatery will become a neighborhood gem. “I’m confident we can become that,” said Tavel-Sanchez Luz. “That’s our goal.” They started “the farmhouse” in Needham as a farm-to-table restaurant. They hope to bring a similar concept, but with different dishes, to Natick Center this spring. The new restaurant, which will at least initially only be open for dinner, will take up two of the three storefronts along West Central Street. It will have about 100 seats spread among a dining area, bar and outdoor patio. Steve DeMasco’s Shaolin Studios, a martial arts school, is establishing a new location in a space accessible via the Summer Street alley. Both new businesses should bring people to downtown, said Athena Pandolf, executive director of the Natick Center Cultural District. The restaurant’s farm-to-table emphasis offers something different for the area. It should complement the existing downtown restaurants, Pandolf said. “It’s going to be a real draw to people coming into Natick. It’s going to be exciting for the residents to go to some place new.” Natick-based Stonegate Group completed renovations and construction at the building in the fall, creating space for businesses as well as 11 apartments. “We are very appreciative of the Natick community’s enthusiastic support of our efforts to bring new and different businesses to our town,” Dean Calivas, chief operating officer at Stonegate Group, said in a statement. “This new restaurant will be an asset to the current revitalization of Natick Center, and we hope that their presence in the heart of the downtown district will encourage other businesses to look to Natick as a wonderful opportunity to set down roots.” Calivas praised Tavel-Sanchez Luz and Sanchez Luz, saying “their reputation for high-quality, locally grown farm-to-table food speaks for itself.” They opened the Needham restaurant in 2013 and use food they grow as well as products from other local farms. They plan to farm in South Natick. The couple plans to run a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for opening the Natick eatery. Relying on locally grown food means the menu must change based on what is available. But, servers can tell diners the story of where their food came from and fresh food simply tastes better, Tavel-Sanchez Luz said. “That’s who we are. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” For more information about the new restaurant, email eatbuttercup@gmail.com. More information about 13 West Central St. is available at www.stonegatellc.com. |
