If you’re driving through the North Shore and find yourself turning off Route 128 near the airport, you might stumble onto a street that feels like a quiet backroad but acts like a massive economic engine. Sam Fonzo Drive Beverly MA isn't your typical suburban cul-de-sac. Honestly, if you showed up here looking for a cute colonial with a white picket fence, you’d be pretty confused.
Basically, this stretch of road is the heart of the Cherry Hill Industrial Park area. It’s a place where massive glass-fronted offices meet heavy-duty manufacturing. You’ve probably seen the signs for it if you frequent the Beverly Regional Airport or live over on the more residential Trask Street, which runs almost parallel but feels like a completely different world.
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The Massive Scale of Sam Fonzo Drive Beverly MA
Most people underestimate just how much "building" is actually packed into this one street. We aren’t talking about small storefronts. Take 75 Sam Fonzo Drive, for instance. It’s a 160,000-square-foot beast of a building sitting on nearly 38 acres. To put that in perspective, you could fit multiple football fields inside and still have room for a massive parking lot.
Connolly Brothers recently bought that specific property in August 2025. They’re the same folks who originally built it back in 2001 for Electric Insurance Co. Now that it’s vacant, there’s a lot of chatter about what comes next. Will it be life sciences? More traditional office space? Or a complete "build-to-suit" redevelopment? On the North Shore, finding 38 acres of prime industrial land is like finding a needle in a haystack.
It’s Not All Corporate Cubicles
While the big office buildings grab the headlines, the street is actually a weirdly diverse mix of "new" and "old" industrial vibes.
- 150 Sam Fonzo Drive: This spot has been in the news because of Baked Beans Farm LLC. They’ve been working through the licensing process for a marijuana cultivation and production facility.
- 40 Sam Fonzo Drive: A newer addition, built around 2019. It’s a massive steel-frame structure—over 36,000 square feet—that looks like it means business.
- The "Rough" Land: If you go further down to number 95, you’ll see lots that are still being developed. Some are just 2.3-acre plots of "rough grade" land with wetlands nearby.
Kinda interesting, right? You have a high-tech office building at one end and a sloped, undeveloped lot with underground utilities waiting for a shovel at the other. It's the definition of a work in progress.
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The Airplane Factor
You can't talk about Sam Fonzo Drive without mentioning the airport. Being right next to Beverly Regional Airport is a huge "pro" for businesses that need to fly people in or out. But it also means the street makes the news for things other than real estate. Just last summer in June 2025, a Mooney M20 aircraft crashed right on Sam Fonzo Drive. It was a tragic event that brought a ton of emergency responders to the area, reminding everyone just how close those hangars really are.
Why This Street Matters for Beverly’s Economy
Beverly is often thought of as a "beach town" or a "commuter hub" for Boston. While that’s true, Sam Fonzo Drive represents the "industrial" side of the city's identity.
The zoning here is strictly IR (Industrial). That means you aren't going to see a Starbucks or a boutique clothing store popping up next to the loading docks. This creates a very specific vibe. It’s quiet during the weekends but a hive of activity during the 9-to-5 grind. The city uses this area to balance the tax base, which helps keep residential property taxes from spiraling out of control.
Residents vs. Industry
There’s always a bit of friction, though. Because Sam Fonzo Drive is so close to residential areas like Trask Street, any new development gets a lot of side-eye from the neighbors. When a 4,500-square-foot recreational cannabis shop was proposed for the area, the pushback was real. People worry about traffic and the "feel" of the neighborhood, even if the street itself is technically industrial. It’s a classic North Shore struggle: maintaining the peace of a historic town while feeding the hunger for new business.
Getting There and Moving Around
Access is the name of the game here. You’re about 25 miles from Boston. If you’re coming from the south, you’re hopping off Route 128 and weaving through the industrial park.
The street itself is paved with public road frontage, curbs, and gutters—the whole nine yards. But it’s not exactly a "walking" street unless you’re an employee taking a lunch break on the jogging paths near the wetlands.
Actionable Insights for Interested Parties
If you are looking at Sam Fonzo Drive Beverly MA for business or investment, keep these specific factors in mind:
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- Check the Zoning Early: The City of Beverly is very specific about IR (Industrial) zones. If your project doesn't fit the manufacturing or high-tech office mold, you're going to face a steep uphill battle with the Planning Board.
- Infrastructure is Ready: Most lots, like 95 Sam Fonzo, already have underground utilities and electricity to the lot line. This saves a massive amount of "pre-construction" headache.
- Watch the Airport Regulations: Proximity to the airport means height restrictions and noise considerations are non-negotiable.
- Monitor the 75 Sam Fonzo Redevelopment: This is the "bellwether" for the street. Whatever Connolly Brothers decides to do with those 38 acres will dictate the property values for the rest of the decade.
The street might look like a simple stretch of asphalt and metal buildings, but it's one of the most strategically important corridors in Essex County. Whether it's a new tech headquarters or a cultivation facility, what happens on Sam Fonzo Drive usually sets the tone for the rest of Beverly's industrial future.
To stay updated on specific permit filings or site plan approvals for this area, your best bet is to monitor the Beverly Planning Board's public hearing schedule, which is updated monthly on the official city website. Checking the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds for recent filings on parcels B and A will also give you a head start on who is actually moving money into the street before the signs even go up.