EASTHAM — Fred LaPiana Sr. had a vision for the property along Route 6 that he bought in 1951. He wanted it to be the hub of the Eastham business community.
That vision never materialized in his lifetime. But two generations later, it could become reality. At last year’s annual town meeting, Eastham voters agreed to purchase the 3.5-acre Town Center Plaza from the four surviving LaPiana grandchildren. And in March the $3.08-million purchase, which including the price of replacing the plaza’s failed septic systems, was finalized.
The grand scheme is to merge the Town Center Plaza property with the 11-acre former T-Time driving range to the north, which the town bought in 2019, and create a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly area. The two plots could be connected by a new street off Brackett Road, said Town Administrator Jacqui Beebe, noting that four easements from businesses would be required.
Though plans are incomplete, new homes, shops, parking, and recreation space are all being considered. It will take a year of professional planning, which kicked off a month ago when the town contracted with Union Studio Architecture & Community Design.
Civic-Minded Family
Fred LaPiana Sr. came from Palermo, Italy and made his fortune as a chemist in the textile industry in Providence, R.I., according to his 1956 obituary.
In 1948 he bought a house in Eastham and started acquiring land that reached from what is now Landmark Fence to Brackett Road, said his granddaughter, Jeanne LaPiana, of Exeter, R.I., who is executor of her parents’ estate.
Fred Sr.’s vision is visible in a historical article in the Cape Codder. In 1954, he leased what was then the Country Fair grocery store to C. Foster Atwood, and it became the Town Center Restaurant, where Landmark Fence now is.
Fred Sr. died of cancer at age 71. He and his wife, Mary, had one child, Fred Jr., who came home to Eastham from his U.S. Marines service in 1958, and embarked on a life filled with public service. Fred Jr. and his wife, Geraldine, known as “Geri,” had five children.
Fred Jr. became the youngest town moderator in Eastham’s history, serving from 1959 to 1964. He was also a selectman for 10 years, served on the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission, and helped found the Eastham Board of Trade.
It was Fred Jr. who built the L-shaped minimall and named it Town Center Plaza, said daughter Jeanne. He wanted to build more but couldn’t find the money. He needed year-round tenants, but the 10-week summer economy got in the way, Jeanne said.
Fred Jr. died of a heart attack at age 56 in 1989, and the Town Center Plaza was frozen in time.
“My dad always wanted to put more investment into it,” said Leslie Plumb, who owns Town Center Wine & Spirits in the plaza. Geri operated the liquor store until her death in 2016.
Plumb is candid about the fact that her family did not keep the plaza in the best condition. The six businesses there suffer from a serious lack of curb appeal. The red neon “Liquors” sign outside Plumb’s wine shop dates to the 1960s, she said.
The plaza “looks like it is stuck in the 1960s — because it is,” Plumb added. “It was not well kept up. We sell fine wine here, and there is a disconnect between what you see outside and what is inside.”
Titawon Sangkapong has owned the Royal Thai restaurant at Town Center Plaza for five years. She said her rent has been stable and business has been brisk, especially in the summer. Now, if only the ceiling would stop leaking and the roof shingles would cease flying all over the parking lot when there is a stiff wind, she would feel even better.
“When I told the landlord about the problems, nothing happened,” she said.
Town as Landlord
This week, the six tenants of Town Center Plaza — Nauset Ice Cream, Town Center Wine & Spirits, the Royal Thai, the Local Break, ARTichoke Boutique, and Foran Realty — are signing leases with their new landlord, the town of Eastham, said Beebe.
The tenants will keep the same square footage they have now, and the leases are year-to-year with no rent increases, Beebe said.
But the buildings all must be replaced, Beebe added. Construction won’t begin until a master plan is created and accepted by town meeting. For now, the town will make basic repairs, filling potholes, relining the parking lot, and adding signs to “make it more attractive,” Beebe said. Roof repairs will also be necessary.
Rents will bring in $100,000 a year, which will take care of maintenance and go into a fund for future expenses, Beebe said. The $3.08-million loan will be paid off with revenue from the short-term rental tax.
Some may ask: should the town be venturing into the landlord business?
“The truth is, if the plaza was well maintained and kept up as a vibrant commercial district, the town would not have wanted to step in,” Beebe said. “But we saw it as a rundown plaza.”
And if it sold on the open market, it most likely would become high-end housing. “That is the last thing we need in that corner of our commercial district,” she said.
The six businesses would be gone in one fell swoop, she added.
“How risky is this?” Beebe said. “It is not costing the taxpayers any more money now, and if we end up failing, we can sell it.”
Both LaPiana sisters are overjoyed by the outcome thus far.
Leslie Plumb called Beebe a visionary leader. “She is really behind all the businesses here in a way I never could have imagined,” Plumb said.
“I am honored to help make my grandfather’s vision come true,” said Jeanne LaPiana.
