800 South
A New Destination Taking Shape, Designed for Wrentham.
A thoughtful vision for South Street bringing local businesses, useful amenities and new opportunities to the Wrentham community.
A New Vision
for South Street
800 South is a vision designed for Wrentham: thoughtfully transforming an underutilized property along South Street into a welcoming commercial destination that better serves the needs of the community.
The preliminary concept brings street-facing retail and local amenities together with business and commercial space, pedestrian access, convenient parking and thoughtfully planned landscaping and buffers.
The goal is not to create another large-scale retail destination. It is to create a development designed for Wrentham, one that feels appropriate for the town and brings businesses, services and amenities residents can actually use.
Approximately 350,495 square feet of buildable area.
Initial street-facing retail component.
Approximately 73,400 square feet of the site dedicated to the retail component.
Planned commercial building, including approximately 16,250 SF of warehouse space and 3,750 SF of office space.
Street-facing businesses, pedestrian access, landscaping, buffers and site grading designed to create an attractive presence along South Street.
Get project news and public meeting dates by email.
Where Is
800 South?
Located on South Street, immediately north of I‑495.
What Could Be
The renderings and site plans shown on this site illustrate one potential design for the property. They are not an approved site plan, and no buildings, tenants or layouts have been permitted.
They are shared to help residents picture what a thoughtfully designed development on this property could look like, and to invite feedback early rather than after decisions are made.
Preliminary Site Plan
Concept, subject to changeExisting Google Street View
07 / 08
Local Owners. Local Investment.
Designed for Wrentham
800 South is being brought forward by local business owners who live and work here. People invested in Wrentham's future, not outside developers passing through.
Everyday Amenities, Not a Big-Box Center
What This Will Be
A place for businesses, services and conveniences that can add value to the people who live and work in Wrentham.
A development designed around the property and its surroundings, rather than trying to maximize development for development's sake.
A destination intended to complement Wrentham and create amenities that residents can use close to home.
Street-facing storefronts, landscaping, pedestrian access and thoughtful site planning can create a more attractive transition along the South Street corridor.
New commercial uses can bring businesses, jobs and recurring commercial tax revenue to Wrentham.
What This Will Not Be
The vision is not for enormous national retail buildings or a sprawling regional shopping complex.
800 South is intended to serve the community, not compete with or replicate the large-scale retail destination already located near Route 495.
Rezoning does not give a developer permission to build whatever they want. Future development remains subject to Planning Board review and the Town's permitting requirements.
The upcoming vote concerns zoning along the South Street corridor. It does not approve the 800 South site plan, individual buildings or future tenants.
Is the Goal to Build
More Big Box Stores?
The short answer? No, and here’s why.
The proposal includes only 6,600 square feet of retail in total. A typical big box store needs 100,000 square feet or more.
Any future development proposal goes through the Town’s required review process. That includes a chance for voters to review a specific proposal and share their input.
Our goal is for 800 South to be a place where small, local businesses can grow and thrive.
What Are We
Voting On?
One article. One stretch of South Street. Zoning only, not a development approval.
The South Street corridor between Route 495 and Wampum Corner is currently zoned R-43 Residential on its west side.
At Town Meeting, voters will consider a single article that would update the zoning on the stretch closest to Route 495, from 936 South Street at the interchange north to 792 South Street, to better reflect the commercial character already there. The development is branded as 800 South for simplicity.
This is the most commercially oriented end of the corridor, directly beside the interchange and the existing regional retail area. Nothing north of 792 South Street toward Wampum Corner is part of this vote.
The east side of South Street is not included in the proposed rezoning and would remain R-43 Residential.
The corridor north of 792 South Street toward Wampum Corner is not part of this vote.
What Wrentham
Gets Out of It
A YES vote allows limited rezoning focused on parcels near I-495 and existing commercial activity, turning underused residential-zoned land into a source of commercial tax revenue.
Rezoning the southern parcels from Residential (R-43) to Business (B-2) opens the door to uses such as take-out and fast-food service and light industrial. This is commercial activity that pays into the Town rather than drawing on residential services.
What Does a YES Vote Actually Do?
Nothing else.
A YES vote changes the zoning designation of the affected properties, and nothing more.
800 South.
It does not approve a particular building, site plan, tenant or development program.
Any future development would still need to go through the Town's required review and approval process, including applying for a special permit from the Planning Board. That process provides another opportunity for public review and considers issues including:
The Planning Board voted 7–0 on April 1, 2026 to make a favorable recommendation on the proposed zoning article.
South Street
Has Changed.
Its Zoning Hasn't.
The west side of South Street between Route 495 and Wampum Corner remains designated residential, despite sitting immediately north of the Route 495 interchange, adjacent to an established regional retail area and connecting north toward the existing commercial area at Wampum Corner.
The proposed zoning recognizes that South Street is not one uniform corridor. The stretch closest to Route 495 already sits beside the interchange and existing higher-traffic commercial activity, and the proposed B-2 district reflects that reality. The corridor further north toward Wampum Corner is left alone.
Growth doesn't have to mean losing what makes Wrentham Wrentham.
800 South represents an opportunity to take property along an already active commercial corridor and thoughtfully introduce businesses, services and amenities that can benefit the community.
The preliminary concept deliberately places retail along South Street, with the larger commercial component positioned behind it. Site grading is also intended to help screen the rear portion of the development while making the street-facing businesses more visible.
The result is intended to feel less like a commercial complex and more like a natural extension of the community.
Questions & Answers
Where exactly is 800 South? +–
The property is on the west side of South Street (Route 1A) in Wrentham, immediately north of the I-495 interchange, along the corridor between the interchange and Wampum Corner.
It sits beside an established regional retail area and an already active commercial stretch of road.
Is 800 South already approved? +–
No. There is no approved development at 800 South.
No buildings, tenants, layouts or site plans have been permitted. What exists today is a preliminary concept and a proposed zoning change for the property.
What zoning change is being considered? +–
The proposal would change the zoning of the west side of South Street, from 936 South Street at the Route 495 interchange north to 792 South Street, from R-43 Residential to B-2 Business.
The corridor further north toward Wampum Corner is not part of this vote, and the east side of South Street would remain R-43 Residential.
A zoning change alters what uses may be considered on a property. It does not approve any specific project.
What do the renderings represent? +–
The renderings and site plans on this site are illustrative. They show one potential design for the property, prepared to help residents picture what a development here could look like.
They are not an approved site plan, and the buildings, tenants and layouts shown are not permitted or final.
What could potentially be built here? +–
If the zoning change is approved, the property could be considered for uses allowed in the B-2 Business district, which can include retail, office, personal services and commercial uses.
The preliminary concept shown here envisions approximately 6,600 SF of street-facing retail with parking and pedestrian access, together with a planned 20,000 SF commercial building behind it.
Any actual proposal would still need to go through the Town's review and permitting process.
What happens after a zoning change? +–
A zoning change is the first step, not the last. Any future development proposal would still need to apply for a special permit from the Planning Board and go through the Town's required review process.
That process includes a public hearing and notification of abutters, giving residents another opportunity to review a specific proposal and provide input.
Is the goal of 800 South to build more big box stores? +–
No. The proposal includes only 6,600 square feet of retail in total, while a typical big box store needs 100,000 square feet or more.
Any future development proposal would go through the Town's required review process, including a chance for residents to review a specific proposal and share their input.
The goal is for 800 South to be a place where small, local businesses can grow and thrive.
How would traffic be evaluated? +–
Traffic is one of the issues considered during the Town's development review process rather than at the zoning stage.
When a specific proposal is filed, the Planning Board's special permit review considers access, circulation and traffic impacts, and the Board can require studies and conditions as part of its review. Requirements depend on the scope of the proposal and the Town's applicable regulations at that time.
We are not in a position to predict the outcome of that review, and no traffic conclusions should be drawn from the preliminary concept shown here.
What happens to the existing trees and landscaping? +–
The preliminary concept includes landscaping and buffer areas, and positions the larger commercial component behind the street-facing retail, using grading and plantings to help screen it from South Street.
Specific decisions about which existing vegetation remains, what is removed and what new landscaping is planted would be determined through detailed site design and the Town's permitting process. We are not making commitments about individual trees before those plans are confirmed.
How can residents stay informed and participate? +–
You can follow 800 South on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube for project updates and notice of upcoming public meetings.
Questions can be sent to info@800south.org. Town Meeting and Planning Board hearings are also open to the public and are the formal venues for resident input.
Thoughtful Growth.
Local Opportunity.
A Stronger Community.
800 South is about creating an opportunity for a different kind of development along South Street: one that supports local businesses, introduces useful amenities, strengthens the Town's commercial tax base and respects the community around it.