Restaurateur seeks return to Groton site

GROTON -- Ten years after his restaurant was torn down to accommodate improvements at the intersection of Route 119 and Sandy Pond Road, property owner Joseph Wong appeared before the Planning Board with plans to get back into food service.

Wong, along with representative John Amaral and engineer Jesse Johnson, met with the Planning Board Thursday to unveil early plans for the development of Crossroads Plaza, the 788 Boston Road lot the restaurateur owns and which had been the site of the former Groton Jade Chinese restaurant.

According to Johnson, the site plan presented at the pre-submission review included a pair of buildings, the larger of which would house a new 106-seat Chinese restaurant planned by Wong.

Wong received approval from the board earlier this year for a pair of special permits originally awarded to him in 2006 and covering a more ambitious plan for the environmentally sensitive site.

At the time, board members were told there were no immediate plans to develop the 4.5-acre corner site but that Wong wanted to keep his options open in case the economy improved.

Wong first contemplated developing the site several years ago, when it became clear the state's plans to redesign the Four Corners intersection would require the demolition of his Groton Jade Chinese Restaurant.

There was talk Wong would rebuild elsewhere on the site but as time went on, plans emerged for a full-scale redevelopment of the lot that included the construction of up to five buildings.

But those early plans met resistance from town officials, including the Planning Board, which was unhappy with the number and size of the proposed buildings.

In 2006, Wong changed his design team. He brought in engineering firm GPR Inc., which proceeded to make drastic alterations to the Crossroads concept including cutting the number of proposed buildings from five to four and reducing the size of the retail space from 43,000 to 19,000 square feet.

On Thursday, Johnson told members the new plan now included only two buildings, the first of which would comprise 4,500 square feet and house a new restaurant.

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Restaurateur seeks return to Groton site