Assuming the negotiations succeed, the Parkway Plaza will see a significant rise in shootings during the coming year. However, these shootings will involve paintballs and are intended purely for entertainment. Boston Paintball Inc., based in Everett, is currently working to secure a lease for approximately 37,000 sq. ft. within the Richie’s Home Furnishings building, one of the few remaining spaces in the revitalized strip mall awaiting redevelopment. According to filings submitted to the city by the building’s owners, Caru Chelsea LLC of Cambridge—the proprietors of the former Putnam Furniture Company—the organization is prepared to undertake significant renovation efforts. For decades, the structure functioned as both a furniture retail outlet and distribution hub before transitioning recently into a temporary filming location for motion picture production. Over the past several years, various movie producers have leased the building for short-term shoots lasting a few months each. While such arrangements brought prestige, they lacked permanence and resulted in an eyesore occupying much of the plaza throughout most of the year. According to the plans, Boston Paintball would share the space with a complementary retail business specializing in trophies and sports uniforms. Details regarding tenants for the remaining space would be disclosed subsequently. “Using their existing operations [in Everett] as a gauge, Boston Paintball anticipates peak customer flows will occur in the late afternoon, in the evenings and on weekends,” stated in one filing addressing neighborhood effects, which appear minimal at this stage. Boston Paintball currently operates from a location behind the Harley-Davidson dealership in Everett on the Parkway. The relocation to Parkway Plaza would represent a brief move, one that company leadership appears enthusiastic about pursuing. Operating for 16 years with an additional location in Framingham, the business is positioned for this expansion. City Manager Jay Ash expressed considerable enthusiasm for the venture and anticipates paintball activity commencing soon at Parkway Plaza, though he acknowledged that the loss of occasional film production use would be a trade-off.
Boston Paintball may move to the Putnam building
