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WESTBOROUGH – On Friday, January 25th, 2019, Westborough’s Economic Development Committee held their Fifth Annual Year in Review Celebratory Event. Keynote speaker Lt. Governor Karyn Polito expressed how proud she was of Westborough, and stated that the town’s economic evolution was a shining example of the progress that is occurring all across Massachusetts. The central portion of the event was dedicated to the acknowledgement of the businesses who had contributed to the growth of Westborough over the past year. In recognition of their renovation of the historic Arcade Building in Downtown Westborough, Stonegate Group was honored with the 2018 Outstanding Revitalization Project Award. Built in 1890, the Arcade Building is a three-story, mixed-use landmark in the heart of Westborough center and was erected on the site of the original Westborough Town Meetinghouse. A contributing resource to the Westborough Main Street Historic District for over 125 years, this downtown walk-in retail property is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Westborough Rotary. Under the guidance of the Massachusetts Historical Society and the National Parks Service, the building’s sensitive renovation restored not only the storefronts but also the entire façade of the structure, with a particular emphasis on the recreation of the ornamental roof parapet, which had been removed in the early 20th century. Accepting the award on Stonegate Group’s behalf was company CEO and president, Sean McGrath, who attended the event with various Stonegate Group employees who contributed to the project. Among the companies also in attendance were the architect and general contractor of the project, Diane Lim of Lim Design Studio and Nick Hall of PointsNorth Construction Management. Stonegate Group is a proud sponsor of Natick Youth Basketball's 2018-19 season. We're so happy we can support our community and we wish our team the best of luck this year!  WESTON – On the evening of Thursday, November 29th, Natick-based real estate company Stonegate Group commemorated thirty years in business with a celebratory gathering at the Weston Golf Club in Weston, MA. Both colleagues and current and former employees came together to mark the occasion. Sean McGrath, Stonegate Group’s founder and president, started MR Properties from his living room in 1988 and just two years later, was able to move to a small office in Framingham with a handful of employees. Within ten years MR Properties evolved into Stonegate Group and moved to its current location on Speen Street in Natick. For the next eighteen years, Stonegate Group developed into an industry leader with properties in Natick, Framingham, Grafton, Westborough, Worcester, and Boston, ranging from residential and commercial to industrial and mixed-use. Currently, there is no sign of slowing down as the company is continually looking for interesting opportunities in the future. McGrath expressed his appreciation by thanking the business partners, the bankers, attorneys, contractors, and other associates, without whom none of Stonegate Group’s projects could have been accomplished. He then thanked his employees, whom he called the “lifeblood of the company”, noting the typical Stonegate employee averages at least fifteen years with the company. Stonegate Group looks forward to celebrating their 40th and 50th anniversaries! On Saturday, September 22, we celebrated our annual "Park Fest" at Park Village in Westborough to say "thank you" to our wonderful residents! Food, games and many fun activities made the entire day very special. Thank you to everyone for making this event one to remember!  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!
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