By Cate Lecuyer
Soon, going to the Registry of Motor Vehicles will be as simple as going to the mall — Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, to be exact.
The express office to replace the closing branch on Cabot Street in Beverly will go in the Best Buy corridor next to K&G Fashion Superstore and A.C. Moore, RMV spokeswoman Ann Dufresne said. It is scheduled to open mid-January.
"We think it's a good location," Dufresne said. "It's certainly accessible, and it fits our criteria."
Mainly, that criteria concerned rental costs.
With $13 million in budget cuts, the Registry of Motor Vehicles announced in July that it would close 11 branches statewide — a move expected to save $1.7 million annually in rent — and open five new branches in toll plazas, visitor centers and other state-owned buildings that wouldn't require a monthly payment.
But Simon Property Group, which owns the Danvers mall, agreed to house the Registry for free. The guest lease is still pending with the state.
"We take our responsibility to the community very seriously and are pleased to have the opportunity to provide free space for the Registry of Motor Vehicles during what is a very difficult financial time for the RMV and the state of Massachusetts," said Matt Bourassa, assistant general manager of Liberty Tree Mall.
Unlike the full-service office on Cabot Street, the express branch will be limited — meaning license and registration renewals, amendments and duplicates — which Dufresne said is the majority of their business. Locals looking for services like out-of-state transactions, citations, titles, permits or suspensions will have to head to Revere.
The Registry is scheduled to return to Beverly in 2012, with an express branch inside the new parking garage once it's built.
The Cabot Street branch won't close until the Liberty Tree branch opens.
"The service will be seamless," Dufresne said.
Initially, the Registry wanted to close the Cabot Street office in September and open a branch in the MassHighway District 4 Garage on Route 1 in Peabody, but that plan was scrapped because of parking problems. It began looking at other locations that were state-owned, or commercial properties that would waive the rent — such as the Liberty Tree Mall.
Dufresne said opening a branch there will be an added convenience.
"It will allow our customers the resources of the mall," Dufresne said. "It's one-stop shopping."
Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
Express Branch services
License and registration:
Renewals
Amendments
Duplicates
Nearest branches with full service
9C Everett St., Revere, 29 miles from Gloucester.
73 Winthrop Ave., Lawrence, 31 miles from Gloucester.
355 Middlesex Ave., Wilmington, 34 miles from Gloucester.
