MBTA buys former Budweiser site for $54M. What’s next?

By Sangmin Song

The future of Medford’s former Budweiser site is beginning to take shape, though not in the way many residents expected.

After months of negotiations, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority finalized its purchase of 440 Riverside Ave., which is now expected to become a maintenance hub for the agency’s electric bus fleet.

For residents who live near the property, the MBTA’s arrival has raised new questions and concerns.

How the sale happened

The MBTA completed its purchase of the former Budweiser property in August, following a series of transfers within Anheuser-Busch’s property network.

The 21-acre site, built in 1983, long served as a regional distribution warehouse for Anheuser-Busch beer until the company closed it last year.

A-B PP Holdings for Medford LLC, a property-holding company affiliated with Anheuser-Busch, had owned the land and buildings, while Anheuser-Busch LLC operated there as a tenant under a long-term lease. That lease included a purchase option allowing the company to buy the site from its affiliate.

In May, Anheuser-Busch exercised that option, purchased the property for $54 million and sold it in August to the MBTA for the same price.

From Market Basket to a bus garage

Before the MBTA entered the picture, many Medford residents had hoped the property would become a new Market Basket store. The grocery chain had expressed interest after Anheuser-Busch closed its Medford distribution center in 2024. City officials, including Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, publicly supported the plan.

In a statement Aug. 14, Lungo-Koehn said, “The MBTA was the highest bidder and I have been working hard to make sure Medford does not become the regional location to store and maintain buses.”

She added, “Even though this is a private sale, I felt I had to get as involved as possible because our community has made it clear that access to affordable groceries is far more important and impactful to the neighborhood than a de facto parking lot for the MBTA.”

After the purchase was finalized, she wrote on Facebook on Aug. 25, “The MBTA has closed on the property at 440 Riverside and is continuing to work to share acreage to help lower grocery costs for our residents.”

Why the MBTA chose Medford

The MBTA Board of Directors meeting on Aug. 12 selected 440 Riverside Ave. as the site of a new maintenance facility for its battery-electric buses. The project is part of the MBTA’s Bus Facility Modernization Program, which aims to replace aging infrastructure and expand capacity for zero-emission vehicles.

According to the MBTA, the Lynn and Fellsway garages, both built nearly a century ago, are obsolete and too small to accommodate modern battery-electric buses. The Medford site was identified as the only location that meets the MBTA’s needs in terms of size, layout and proximity to key routes.

Neighbors react to the news

Residents living near 440 Riverside Ave. said they were caught off guard by the MBTA’s purchase of the former Budweiser property and are uneasy about how the project could affect their neighborhood.

David Salamone, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said the prospect of buses running throughout the day and night raises concerns about constant noise. Although activity at the Budweiser site was limited — mostly one night a week and some daytime truck traffic — Salamone said even that occasional disturbance was unwelcome to nearby residents.

“I wouldn’t appreciate it [and] I don’t think it’s a great thing to be that close to us,” Salamone said. “It’s bad enough now that they have the Budweiser trucks there because of the noise, but a bus, that’ll be all night things.”

Others shared similar concerns, but recalled that the Budweiser operation had been a considerate presence in the neighborhood. Bob Bernaiche, whose family has lived in the area for 60 years, said the company maintained the property well and made an effort to engage with the community.

“Budweiser was a good neighbor…they kept the place up very nicely,” Bernaiche said. “Some years they would actually hold a barbecue or summer thing where the neighborhood would come and get people involved, which was very nice.”

Bernaiche said the property was open to residents and rarely caused any disruption.

“We had no problem walking on the property with the leashed dog, and it was really nice,” Bernaiche said. “They weren’t loud [and] I didn’t really even notice the traffic.”

What’s next for 440 Riverside

The MBTA has not yet released design plans for 440 Riverside Ave., and officials say the project remains in its earliest stages.

Lungo-Koehn said she has asked the agency to engage directly with residents before moving forward.

“I have already asked the T to hold a community meeting regarding the 440 Riverside site with the neighborhood as soon as possible,” she wrote Aug. 25 on Facebook.

Local residents agree that community input will be essential as plans develop.

“Get the community involved or get the neighbors involved,” Bernaiche said. “That’s extending of a hand…You’re being forthright and transparent of what you're going to do, how you’re going to do it, and that’ll give us a sense of how we can [figure] out what kind of neighbor you’ll be.”

Sangmin Song is a senior journalism student. This story is part of a partnership between Gotta Know Medford and the Boston University Department of Journalism.