Tex Barry's hot dogs reopening in downtown Taunton — not everyone's happy. Here's why

TAUNTON — After being forced to shut down in the middle of the summer — along with eight other businesses due to structural weaknesses in the Union Block in downtown Taunton — Tex Barry’s Hot Dogs announced via social media that it is reopening Nov. 6.

But is the building safe for habitation?

We talked to the the city's building department as well as the developer of the Union Block housing project to get an answer.

What happened?

Since late July, nine businesses on Main Street in the Union Block in downtown Taunton have been displaced from their building spaces due to structural issues found on the upper floors of the buildings.

The displaced businesses, in addition to Tex Barry's, are: Real Art Studios, Applause Academy, Taunton Antiques Center, Taunton Venetian Blind Company, Open Doors Yoga Studios, Uplifted Nutrition, Amy’s Nail Bar and Metro PCS.

All these businesses are connected to the long-in-the-works Union Block project, which will create 38 affordable and mixed-income housing units on the top floors of the system of conjoined buildings.

The city has since helped most of the businesses find temporary space to relocate, but Tex Barry’s never found temporary space.

Tex Barry’s posted on its Facebook page back on Thursday, Oct. 26, “All structural issues have been dealt with and we are ready for reopen on Monday 11/6/23.”

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What does the city's building department say?

Robert Pirozzi, building commissioner for the Taunton Building Department, said he was informed that the structural engineer for Dellbrooks, the general contractor for the repairs in the Union Block buildings, signed off on allowing tenants back into their building spaces.

But Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc. (NOAH), the owner and developer of the Union Block housing project, isn't happy with Tex Barry moving in prematurely.

“We haven’t given official permission to move back in. Work is not done," said NOAH Executive Director Phil Giffee,

Giffee clarified that "the building is relatively safe" and it's "not life threatening like before," but he still "wouldn't open a business under these conditions."

What did engineers find? When will Taunton's Union Block reopen after abrupt closure?

What structural problems made the buildings unsafe?

Last month, NOAH told the Gazette an engineering study determined that decades-long rainwater damage and erosion and questionable repairs throughout the years contributed to the gradual structural decline of the brick buildings’ upper floors.

He added some of the solutions to repairing these structural issues were the shoring up of fractures in load-bearing walls and installing a stainless-steel buttressing system.

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Has the repair work been completed?

Giffee said: “We haven’t collectively made a decision that every piece of work is done and that we won’t have to go back and redo it.”

Whose gets to decide whether to re-open?

NOAH currently owns the top floors of the four conjoined buildings comprising the Union Block, with the business space on the first floor owned by local businesses and landlords. Giffee said the businesses are not in NOAH's control and it's the owners of those spaces that control whether tenants will move back in now or wait until all the repair work is completed and signed off on.

Are other businesses moving back in?

Michael Keene, owner of Tex Barry’s, declined to speak to the Gazette. Keene is also co-owner of Taunton Antique Center, which relocated to 45 School St for the building repairs, as well as co-owner of one of the four conjoined buildings comprising the Union Block. He and co-owner Armen Tenkarian own the business space for 13-19 Main St, which is normally made up of Tex Barry’s, Taunton Antique Center and Open Doors Yoga Studio.

A staff member of Open Doors Yoga Studio, currently relocated to 16 Taunton Green, told the Gazette the business has no plans yet to move back into its business space.

Jay Dorsey, who owns the three conjoined buildings for the Union Block, stated that none of the six businesses in the building space he owns are scheduled to move back in.

“I’m as frustrated as everyone about the loss of business and revenue for everyone,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Tex Barry's hot dogs reopening in Union Block downtown