Car Dealer 'Campus' Gets Final Tweak

The "campus" now under construction along Route 114 that will put most of Ira's car dealers - from Subaru to Porsche - all in one place has received permission for a final tweak.

After purchasing the former Jimmy's Allenhurst restaurant and banquet facility, Group 1 Auto - the corporate parent of Ira car dealerships - undertook a plan to bring most of its dealers onto its property running from 97-105 Andover St.

A new building that will house Toyota used car sales is now under construction of the former Jimmy's Allenhurst property. And the plans calls for all sorts of other work, from adding buffering for the neighboring condominiums at Old Salem Village to a new entrance driveway that will line up with the traffic lights at Brooksby Village Way that leads to Walmart on the opposite side of Route 114..

Both the Lexus and Subaru building will also be expanded and the Mazda and Safety Insurance building will be torn down.

The campus-wide plan got the go-ahead from the Planning Board last year.

Work to the Porsche building, near the rear of the property, is part of Phase 2. Ira plans to add a new curved front of the building with silver and glass."Porsche wants to see a new image on the building," said Neil Sander, the project architect.

The change got an OK with a 5-0 vote.