Proposed 928,000 square foot Wareham Street warehouse would sit on protected wetlands

MIDDLEBORO – A Maine businessman wants to build a warehouse the size of 16 football fields along Wareham Street. 

But it would be built on protected wetlands that serve as a habitat for eastern box turtles.

The Middleboro Conservation Commission is reviewing a plan to build a large warehouse along Route 28. The commission will hold a hearing on the project to assess its impact on nearby wetlands and rivers.

Former Carver Town Manager and railroad logistics company TransloadX co-founder Michael Milanoski submitted the notice of intent for the project in February 2025. The warehouse, which would sit at 678 Wareham St., would cover 928,000 square feet of ground. It would include 928 parking spaces, 159 loading spaces and 128 trailer spaces.

Due to the volume of vehicles entering and leaving the warehouse, part of the proposal includes widening that part of Wareham Street to add a turn lane.

There is not currently a tenant lined up for the proposed warehouse.

The land the warehouse would sit on has been owned by Maine businessman Peter Gerrity since 2008.

It would sit next to a privately owned cranberry bog along Wareham Street.

The town conducted an independent wetlands review around the site in 2024. After submitting the notice of intent, the applicants halted plans due to a potential change in ownership, but no changes were made. 

Conservation agent Patricia Cassidy said she reopened talks with Milanoski in August.

Much of the warehouse project would sit within 100 feet of bordering vegetated wetlands and 200 feet of the riverfront of the East Branch Sippican River. The proposal said that during construction, 4,430 square feet of wetlands would be altered.

Cassidy said that under the State Wetlands Protection Act, work within 100 feet of wetlands needs to be reviewed by the Conservation Commission and be subject to a public hearing.

There are questions about whether parts of the land are under the Conservation Commission’s jurisdiction. Cassidy said that one part of the land could be considered an isolated land subject to flooding.

If that is the case, then the Conservation Commission would require the applicants to recreate those wetlands. “They would have to copy at least one-to-one the square footage that they would be altering and put it somewhere else on the property,” she said.

Cassidy also said that the land is a protected habitat for eastern box turtles, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The turtles are a species of special concern under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.

The project is also being reviewed by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The office has requested more information in a draft environmental impact report.

Milanoski and Gerrity were not available for comment at press time.

The warehouse will be discussed at an upcoming Conservation Commission meeting currently scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1.