Architecture firm sheds Boston digs in favor of Westborough
Courtesy of SMOOK Architecture & Urban Design Inc.
Christopher Heights, a senior housing development in Marlborough, is among the local projects designed by SMOOK Architecture & Urban Design Inc., now based in Westborough.
Just one year ago, if you’d asked architect Clay Benjamin Smook if he would have traded a downtown Boston address for an office in the suburbs, the answer would have been ‘No.’
But on Feb. 12, SMOOK Architecture & Urban Design Inc. opened its new office at 8 Lyman St. in Westborough, a move Smook considers a “rebirth” for his 10-year-old, full-service architecture firm.
A 'foothold for development'
The Shrewsbury resident admits he wanted to improve his quality of life after years of commuting into the city, and traveling a few miles east to Westborough seemed like a good way to do that. But he’s also ready to pounce on what he sees as burgeoning opportunity in Westborough and throughout MetroWest.
“Westborough, in a lot of ways, has become the foothold for development in this area,” said Smook, a licensed architect with a special focus on designing green buildings.
For several years, he operated under the assumption that a Boston office was a must. It was easy for clients to visit his office there, and a downtown location held a certain level of prestige.
But in an increasingly global economy, Smook said he now recognizes that physical address doesn’t make or break a firm.
Then again, with increasing commercial and residential development prospects in MetroWest, Smook said bringing his offices to town is an opportunity to add to the mix of professional services in town, and it’s a move that he believes will be mutually beneficial.
“We think by coming out here, there’s somewhat of a vacuum … that there’s the (opportunity) to provide those services,” Smook said.
Building fees skyrocket
Smook isn’t the first owner of a company to recognize the potential for new business in Westborough and surrounding towns, though. Westborough Building Commissioner Tin Htway said the architecture firm Regent Associates Inc., also located on Lyman Street, is relatively new to Westborough. And Conservation Services Group, a company specializing in residential energy efficiency projects, recently expanded in a new building on Washington Street.
Meanwhile, Westborough collected $1.09 million in residential and commercial construction permitting fees in 2013, which Htway said is the highest figure in town history. That’s up from $402,000 in 2009 and $801,000 in 2012.
Htway said there’s no sign that development prospects will level, either, with projects up and down Route 9 and surrounding areas in the works.
For example, the town is planning redevelopment of the former Westborough State Hospital, which could be the future site of an incubator or hotel, among other possibilities, Htway said, though plans are in the preliminary stages. A past proposal to redevelop the site as a film studio never got off the ground.
If Smook can have a hand in redevelopment, he will. With a host of local projects under his belt, including Christopher Heights, a senior housing development in Marlborough, he already has the lay of the land.
“I think it’s also a chance to step up the level of available services here in MetroWest, to the level that’s available in Boston,” Smook said.
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