By Crystal Bozek
cbozek@eagletribune.com
October 03, 2008 02:09 am NORTH ANDOVER — The drop ceilings have been removed to expose beams and pipes, and walls have been knocked down to showcase the building's historic machinery. For David Steinbergh, moving forward on the East Mill has meant moving backward. Almost two years after buying the largely vacant Davis and Furber Mill at the corner of Mill and High streets, all the permitting and construction work is finally starting to show tangible results. Two restaurants with Merrimack Valley ties — Stachey's Olde Time Pizzeria and the High Street Grill — will open there this weekend, and Steinbergh expects to have 19 loft apartments ready for tenants by December. "We want to make this a destination spot," Steinbergh said. "For the past 100 years, you drive by on a Saturday and there's nothing. It's dark. Thousands work around here and get in their cars and drive back to where they live. We want people to stay and create a presence here." Once complete, the building will house a mix of shops, offices, restaurants, apartments and condominiums. Town planners have praised the project as a way to revitalize the Machine Shop Village neighborhood as the town works on revamping the adjoining downtown. The entire project could take several more years to complete. Steinbergh's company, RCG LLC of Somerville, has a track record of reviving old mills and buildings in places like Salem, Mass., promoting their history while bringing in high-end retail stores and housing. Steinbergh said when he bought the 235,000-square-foot building there was only 50,000 square feet occupied. "It was close to vacant. We're now double the occupancy since we came in," he said. "And these are clients that really care about the building. There's a new energy." Tenants include a Bickram yoga studio, local attorneys, the North Andover School Department, an international holistic medicine company, a renewable energy company, and several other small businesses. "We still have enough open space to consider different ideas," he said. The mill is permitted for 200 apartments, but Steinbergh is building the lofts — studios to two-bedrooms — in phases. Steinbergh also is working on adding an additional 150 parking spaces to the main lot off High Street. And the town voted to allow 29 street spaces late last year. "We're in talks with the MVRTA, trying to bring bus service here to the commuter rail in Lawrence," he said. Steinbergh would like to bring more eateries to the building. "We're talking to a couple more people about food and drink options. We're thinking maybe coffee," he said. "We've been fortunate to avoid chain stuff coming in." The High Street Grill, with a fire grill and bar, is opening with Andover native Kristi Morris at the helm. Morris served as general manager of the popular East Coast Grill in Cambridge for three and a half years. She said her menu boasts many Southern and Southwestern dishes with twists. "Word has really spread," Morris said. "There's been a lot of interest." Terry Holland, a North Andover resident and the owner of Stachey's Pizzeria in Salem, N.H., had been looking for the right spot for a second location for a long time. "I saw what was happening here, and living here my whole life, I liked how it's preserving North Andover heritage," Holland said. "It's going to bring more life here. ... This is the Main Street we never had." Holland first planned on hanging up sports memorabilia on the pizzeria's walls, but after doing research on the landmark, decided he would decorate with old mill photographs instead. "Once I started the research, I got so excited about it," he said. "They told me a lot of guys carved their initials in the beams back then, so I've started looking for that."
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