ANDOVER — A real estate development that’s changing the face of Andover might not have happened if Mike Lies hadn’t taken the long view.
The retired periodontist didn’t get discouraged when his first attempts to buy some well-positioned agricultural property on the city’s east side failed two decades ago. He was patient when city officials initially expressed skepticism over his plans. And he didn’t panic when the coronavirus pandemic threw a costly wrench into the whole project.
“The COVID deal really slowed us up and made everything a lot more expensive,” Lies said. “It changed the whole paradigm.”…