$17.5 million convention center and travel stop to be built off Route 20 in Sturbridge

Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read

STURBRIDGE — The pocket off Route 20 where trucks stopped for servicing for many years will be flattened for a $17.5 million multifaceted project come 2023.

The seven-acre property, which was last active as New England Truck Stop Inc., was purchased by Noble Energy Real Estate Holdings in 2020.

Michael Frisbie, owner of the Hartford-based company, said that the two-part project will be a convention center for electric vehicles and a travel stop with a charging station and gas station.

An Electrical Vehicle Discovery Center at 201 Charlton Road in Sturbridge will have a driving range for electrical vehicles, a restaurant, a charging station and a convention center.
An Electrical Vehicle Discovery Center at 201 Charlton Road in Sturbridge will have a driving range for electrical vehicles, a restaurant, a charging station and a convention center.

The convention center, to be named Electric Vehicle Discovery Center, will be run in a two-floor 16,000-square-foot building aiming to promote the use of electric vehicles.

It will also house an electric car showroom where visitors will be able to test-drive the cars, according to Frisbie.

The project also includes a highway travel stop with a charging station for electric cars and a Noble Gas Inc. gas station.

While the travel stop is expected to be running as early as February, the convention center’s opening will be no earlier than fall 2023, Frisbie said.

The $7.5 million center will be run in partnership with the Canadian nonprofit organization Plug’n Drive, which in 2017 opened a similar location in Toronto, according to the project’s website. 

It will cost $7.5 million to build, according to Frisbie, whereas the travel stop will cost $10 million.

He said that he chose a location in Massachusetts due to the state’s tendency to be “progressive when it comes to the environment.”

Sturbridge Town Administrator Robin Grimm welcomes the project, as she says that it will be another addition to Sturbridge’s other tourist offerings, citing Sturbridge Village and 25 miles of hiking trails.

She added that the town will offer a 10-year tax exemption understanding with the company for the convention center, which will start at 100% and will be reduced by 10% every year.

“We're really excited about the project,” said Grimm. “Sturbridge has a lot of spirit of tourism and we're very excited because of the fact that it will draw people into our community.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Sturbridge route 20 electric car convention center gas station