Developer Frank R. Simoni Seeks Zoning Change for New Shopping Center Project-August 21, 1963

The Norwood Planning Board has officially scheduled a public hearing for September 9 at 8:15 p.m. at Town Hall to consider an application submitted by developer Frank R. Simoni requesting a significant zoning reclassification along Walpole Street. Mr. Simoni is petitioning to change a parcel of land situated near the Rustic Acres development and Davis Avenue—located off Walpole Street near Davis Avenue—from a single-residence zone to a business zone to facilitate the construction of a new shopping center. Mr. Simoni formally presented the planning board with a supporting petition signed by residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

During preliminary discussions, local resident Irving D. Roth of 186 Sumner Street was recorded as favoring the commercial development plan. However, municipal officials noted that the proposed retail site occupies the same immediate geographic sector as another competing shopping center proposal previously advanced by the Bay State Management Trust. Meanwhile, in related real estate and municipal developments, John P. Alevizos, representing Almor Homes, Inc. (builders of the Hearthstones subdivision in Westover), informed the Planning Board that 40 additional residential lots in the Westover section had been acquired from Parkland Realty, Inc. Additionally, no public opposition has been raised regarding a proposed subdivision of land located at Route 1 and Sumner Street submitted by developer Robert Rizzo.

In community organizational news, Grand Knight Michael Zullo announced that the Norwood Council, Knights of Columbus, will hold its annual Installation of Officers at the K. of C. Home on Nichols Street on September 8, honoring all Past Grand Knights. Past Grand Knight Robert Gearty is managing arrangements for members attending the annual Archdiocese Television Mass recording at the Archdiocesan TV Center in Boston, while a social evening featuring a spaghetti and meatball dinner for members and their wives is scheduled for September 23. (Reporting by James T. O’Sullivan, The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

More Norwood Business History

Northrop Corp. Dedicates $5 Million Facility Addition on Morse Street in Norwood-October 8, 1976

Governor Michael Dukakis and Northrop President Dr. Thomas O. Paine dedicate a $5 million expansion at Norwood’s Morse Street plant, boosting high-tech jobs and aerospace manufacturing.
Norwood Co-Operative Bank Prepares for Striking Move to Modern New Quarters at Central and Park Streets-October 4, 1976

As assets approach $55 million, the Norwood Co-Operative Bank prepares to move into a striking, modern $1 million headquarters at Central and Park Streets featuring an indoor garden.
Factory Mutual Traffic Bottleneck on Route 1 Prompts Safety Concerns and Calls for Improvements-October 13, 1975

Route 1 traffic congestion surrounding Factory Mutual Engineering and Research Corp. prompts employee memo warnings, police scrutiny, and state corridor studies.
Barbering Ain’t What It Used To Be-September 22, 1975

Celebrating 50 years in South Norwood, barber Sal Antonico reflects on changing hairstyles, his musical passions, and a lifetime of serving loyal local customers.
Swampland Transformed Into Norwood Country Club Golf Course-August 29, 1975

Following a massive, self-directed engineering and construction effort, the new Norwood Country Club is scheduled to open for play today. Located on land adjacent to Route 1 and the Norwood Airport purchased in 1973 from the Foley family, the regulation golf course represents a triumph over difficult terrain by builder, contractor, designer, and engineer Frank…
Fate of South Norwood’s Dealers’ Cafe Rests on Upcoming Hearing-August 21, 1975

With the Dealers’ Cafe closed since winter, the state ABCC will review its license status while Norwood Selectman William F. Butters pushes to transfer the permit to Route 1.
Norwood Entrepreneurs Launch Innovative Video Home Inventory Service to Ease Insurance Claims-August 20, 1975

Utilizing cutting-edge audio-video technology, Norwood’s Michael Cardaci Jr. and Christopher McKinnon founded Panvidicon Video Assurance Co. to catalog home possessions for insurance claims.
Norwood Selectmen Fight State Over Iron Horse Outdoor Liquor License-August 21, 1974

Norwood selectmen resist a state ABCC mandate to grant an outdoor liquor license to the Iron Horse’s Mida Piazza Garden.
The Final Chapter: The Rise and Fall of the Plimpton Press in Norwood-October 8, 1973

From its foundational beginnings in 1897 until the present day, the Plimpton Press maintained a long, storied, and vital history of book manufacturing and community building in Norwood. But when the press officially closed its doors last Friday, it marked the end of an era, leaving behind a legacy preserved now only in town archives.…
Town May Take Historic Plimpton Press After Tax Foreclosure-September 25, 1973

Citing severe financial troubles, the 76-year-old Plimpton Press announces its permanent closure for October 5, leaving Norwood to pursue foreclosure over $238,000 in unpaid taxes.