By J.B. Fitzsimmons | Gloucester Correspondent
GLOUCESTER — The humble aisles of the former Railroad Avenue Shaw’s may have once stocked milk, bread, and the occasional expired rotisserie chicken — but thanks to Massachusetts’ MBTA Communities law, the site is about to be reborn as something truly transformative: a 24,000-unit luxury housing complex known as Atlantis by the Sea.
The development, which will tower 96 stories over the iconic rotary and cast a literal shadow on City Hall, is being hailed by developers as a “bold interpretation” of the state’s mandate to increase housing density near transit. Never mind that the MBTA Communities law only requires a few hundred zoning-permitted units and that the property isn’t even in the zone; officials say they’re simply interpreting the law creatively.
“It’s what the law wanted. Or at least what I wanted the law to want,” said property owner and visionary mogul Ivan T. Moni, sipping a sea-salt martini on the Shaw’s roof while construction crews removed the last of the shopping carts. “I always knew this plot had potential. Grocery store? Please. This was always meant to be a sky palace. Build, baby, build.”
Moni, who purchased the property in 2022 under the legal entity Trash-to-Class LLC, claims the MBTA law “basically greenlit everything” once the city “squinted at the maps just right.” While critics argue the new zoning rules are being stretched like saltwater taffy, Moni remains confident.
“People said Gloucester didn’t need 24,000 luxury units,” he said, laughing as his monocle gleamed in the coastal sun. “But what if they’re wrong and I’m rich?”
Each micro-unit in Atlantis by the Sea is expected to start at $1.2 million and feature sweeping views of the neighboring train station, warehouse-turned-dollar store, and iconic McDonald’s and 7-11. Amenities will include climate-controlled lobster spas, biometric wine lockers, and a drone-based valet system for incoming yachts.
Local officials have been both bemused and befuddled by the project, which was approved during what is now being referred to as a “procedural misunderstanding” at a late-night Planning Board meeting. “We thought we were voting on a dog park,” said one board member, who spoke under the condition of anonymity. “Next thing we knew, the renderings had helipads.”
Residents are encouraged to attend upcoming “community input sessions,” where they’ll be allowed to look at the blueprints and express feelings in a soundproof booth while techno music plays over a slideshow of theoretical tax revenue.
Meanwhile, Moni remains undeterred. “Gloucester’s about to level up,” he said. “MBTA Communities law? More like MBTA Opportunities law, am I right?”
He wasn’t. But the backhoe had already started digging.
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