By Patrick McGroarty
Reporter Staff

CVS Pharmacy is close to signing a lease to occupy a building on Dudley Street in Uphams Corner vacated in January by America's Food Basket, according to neighborhood activists and property owner Jeff Levine.

Levine said CVS intends to sign a master lease for the former America's Food Basket building and an adjacent building that used to house a liquor store. After an estimated $2.5 million in renovations to the building, CVS will open a 9,000 square-foot pharmacy and 5,000 square-foot market.

CVS is pursuing a master lease on the 14,000 square-foot property and will be responsible for finding a tenant to run the adjacent market. According to Jeanne Dubois, executive director of the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, three merchants have expressed interest in occupying the space.

At a meeting held last week at the offices of DBEDC, a neighborhood resident asked whether CVS would cut into the business of the market next door, as well as that of nearby pharmacies like the Strand on Columbia Road.

"How do I decide to buy my milk at the CVS if it's cheaper at the market next door?"she asked.

Hal Cohen, an Uphams Corner business owner who has worked closely with CVS to set up the developing deal, explained that CVS has experience respecting the established businesses in a community.

"For instance, there's an African hair care products store across the street, and CVS may purposefully not carry some of those products," said Cohen. He also said that CVS representatives emphasized their interest in a specific customer, typically with low customer service needs and easy to fill prescriptions. "They don't go after high priced drugs, and they help smaller pharmacies understand how they can capitalize on unique services, like at-home delivery," said Cohen, alluding to the strengths of the nearby Strand Pharmacy.

"CVS is sort of like the white knight here," said Levine. "The whole area is sort of crumbling because merchants are not doing business because this place is empty. I've been getting calls from merchants, and when I tell them the content of the new store they say, "Wonderful, when can we get going?'"

There is no concrete timetable for the project, said Levine, but he hopes both CVS and the market will be open for the Christmas season.

"While this was not the initial vision, we now have two anchors to pull people in from outside the area," said Dubois. "It's a chance for these new merchants to take ownership in the Uphams Corner neighborhood."