Groundbreaking for Cambridge Marketplace

The city of Cambridge is one step closer to getting a state-of-the-art retail center in an effort to revitalize the area.

Tuesday, the mayor of Cambridge, other city and state officials, as well as the developer of the new Cambridge Marketplace were on hand to witness the first part of construction.

The new marketplace will be in what is the old Cambridge Plaza right off Highway 50.

Developers say phase one includes adding a new entrance that is expected to make it more accessible to visitors.

And phase two is when officials say new businesses, such as a Starbucks and Chic-fil-A, are expected to move in.

Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley says, "excited" doesn't even begin to describe how she and others invested in this project are feeling.

As for the developer, he says Cambridge was an easy choice for a project of this magnitude.

"I'm ecstatic with the idea that the Fairchild group saw our vision grabbed hold of it," Jackson-Stanley said.

"Saw that we were ready for that partnership and the community is ready and now we have visible results with all we have planned and their Fairchild property Cambridge Marketplace will be the showcase for the eastern shore before it's all said and done."

The developer, Charles Fairchild said, "We came down and searching for another tenant we saw this center and saw a need and that's how it began."

New businesses are expected to open up in the fall and early 2018.