As it turns out, plans to bring a trampoline park to Northborough won't happen.
David O'Connor was just getting ready to sign the lease to bring Sky Zone to Northborough when he went to plan B. O'Connor, under the business entity D&S Entertainment, was working toward opening the indoor trampoline facility at 30 Forbes Road.
Chances are, Sky Zone will now open in Westborough, said O'Connor.
"There is a high likelihood I will go down the road," said O'Connor. "After we did the variance approval in Northborough, you have to wait 20 days for the appeal window. It’s 20 days from when the town posts the approval, and Northborough didn’t post it for a week and a half. It wasn’t until Jan. 8 that I could put recreation in the building. And a couple of days later, the landlord thought at that time that he would renegotiate the rates with me. I could afford the renegotiation, but I had a plan B."
Though he said the terms of the renegotiation were not "unreasonable" and said "I really like the landlords," O'Connor had gotten many alternate options since announcing that Sky Zone was coming to the area.
"I initially didn’t have any other locations," said O'Connor, "but the reality is when the article went in Patch, I had some landlords call me and said, 'You should put that in my building.'"
With a few appealing options on the table, O'Connor says he is focusing on a spot in Westborough, specifically in the Speedway Plaza on Route 9, sharing the building with Burlington Coat Factory (where BJ's used to be).
"There are a couple of options out there and Westborough is one of them," he said. "I don’t have a lease signed but will end up in the 'boroughs. I will know by this time next week. At the Northborough location, I was getting a very steep discount at the beginning, which I would pay for dearly later and he [the landlord] was just trying to level it.
"If I didn’t have another place to go, I would have taken the deal but I was getting calls from landlords, and some, quite frankly, were in better locations. I will literally be within a few miles of the former location. Route 9 is a dramatically better spot. If things don’t work out, the Northborough place is still available. The concessions they wanted weren’t completely unreasonable, but Northborough became plan B."
Sky Zone officials will meet with the Westborough planning board at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Forbes Municipal Building, Town Planner Jim Robbins said Wednesday.
Westborough Health Inspector Terry Gilchrist told the board of health in her January report that Sky Zone "wants to open behind (the) Burlington Coat Factory," which is at 290 Turnpike Road (Route 9).
"They most likely would be selling food," Gilchrist wrote.
The only Sky Zone within 25 miles of Westborough is at 91-B Sprague St., Boston, according to the company's website.
The Boston park's website describes Sky Zone as "a brand new way to move, compete and get fit!"
"But beyond our unique courts, Sky Zone is the ultimate 3-D play experience and unmatched high-flyin' FUN...and it's not just for kids either!" the Boston park's website states.
"Sky Zone is enjoyed by just about any age, shape or physical ability on a regular basis. From open jump, 3-D Dodgeball and SkyRobics fitness classes to birthday party packages, group events and corporate team building outings, there is truly something for everyone!!"