Site Work Begins as Dana Home Transforms into the Inn at Hastings Park

The transformation from senior housing to New England-style inn has begun at the former Dana Home and future Inn at Hastings Park.

Construction vehicles rolled up to the site, located at the corner of Mass Ave and Worthen Road, and preliminary work began earlier this week, according to Trisha Perez Kennealy, the Lexington resident behind the project.

“Everything that we’re doing right now is preliminary work,” she said, “Exploratory demolition work, getting the site ready for construction.”

Earlier this year, Lexington’s annual Town Meeting approved Kennealy’s citizen’s petition to  to allow for commercial redevelopment of the Dana Home and the adjacent property as a hotel and restaurant concept known as the Inn at Hastings Park. And then in July, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a definitive site development plan (DSDUP), allowing certain new uses and site improvements and a special permit to allow an additional standing sign. Both of those approvals came over vocal objections from a number of residents living in the neighborhood across from the site.

Now, as summer turns into autumn, Kennealy is awaiting some final approvals, prepping for construction and eyeing an opening next spring.

From a regulatory standpoint, Kennealy anticipating the Attorney General’s certification of the Town Meeting vote and to hear about formalized approval from the ZBA special permit shortly thereafter.

Where they are from regulatory standpoint is awaiting form the AG’s office certification of the town meeting vote. Have ZBA special permit, and awaiting hearing on that approval as well.

“As soon as we get the permits we’ll be getting started on the heavy lifting and new construction,” Kennealy said. “We’re really hoping to be open by sometime in the spring, late spring of next year, but it all depends on when our permits get through. As soon as we do get the permits, it will be full steam ahead.”

Read More About the Dana Home/Inn at Hastings Park