Union Products yesterday...Union Square tomorrow

In case you weren't aware, Union Products has gone out of business and no longer manufactures the pink flamingos that nobody would ever put on their front lawn today. The funny thing is that once the plant closed down everybody got all sentimental and it was like the worst day ever in flamingo land.

After the plant closing, The Flamingo Project was born to bring back to life something that I can't recall ever seeing anywhere in Leominster on a front lawn.

Now certainly there is more to the Flamingo Project than making flamingos, don't get me wrong. I think those guys are going to do great things for the community around recycling and possibly redevelopment and reuse of some of the areas vacant industrial buildings. Will they make money selling flamingos? We'll see...

I just can't see pink flamingos on the front lawns of the houses being built in some of Leominster's upscale developments. I think I read about a covenant in one development that no flamingos were allowed in the front lawns of any houses.

Anyways...fast forward to August 6, 2007. Jimmy Xarras closed on the Union Products building after being the high bidder at a foreclosure auction held back in June. He took title in the name of Union Square Realty Trust. That's pretty catchy. There's a Union Square in downtown San Francisco and it's a happening place.

What are Jimmy's plans for the nearly 200,000 SF complex? Who knows...only Jimmy knows that. I think a great idea would be a small village of commercial/retail and office buildings with a mix of small industrial buildings that could either be leased or purchased.

I envision a small mixed use development. He could call it Union Square. Do you think he already had that thought?

We'll see what happens over there but I'm sure he didn't buy it so it could sit in the state it's in now so expect to see some action over there.

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