Delays to the MBTA’s Green Line Extension are being blamed for a burrito shop in Medford bailing out.
According to a post made by the Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance, the CEO of Boloco in Medford said he would shut his doors because the train line upgrades and expansion wouldn’t be coming to the area anytime soon.
“We opened our Medford restaurant five years ago in great part due to the knowledge that the Green Line was ‘coming’ and would add vitality to Boston Ave,” said Boloco CEO John Pepper in an email to the neighborhood alliance. “Sadly, we’ve recently decided not to renew our lease and we’ll be out November 30.”
Pepper said in the e-mail that the extension, which was supposed to hit Somerville and Medford in 2015, is critical to the area and he would “continue to support it from the sidelines.”
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced the delay, which pushes the project back to 2018 or 2020, in August, because planners want to obtain the majority of land and environmental permits the project requires before the state puts money into big-time designs and construction bids.
