A Village of Lewiston Planning Board public hearing regarding conversions to 780 Center St. has been postponed until next month.
The hearing was originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Red Brick Municipal Building’s gymnasium, but it will now happen on Sept. 14. An email to the village from applicant Ellicott Development said its request was due to waiting on feedback from a prospective tenant on some items, which may require minor changes to the plan.
The building’s ground floor has been reported to potentially house an Ace Hardware store, with changes to the 16,000-square-foot space including enclosing the drive-thru lane, having the front elevation match adjacent storefront sections, and the rear elevation having a roll-up panel door for deliveries. At their July meeting, the village planners raised several questions about how deliveries would work, what the parking would be like, if propane would be sold, and what the building’s sidewalk plans will be.
The upper floor has 11 apartment units, which are fully occupied. A past proposal to build ground-floor residential units got planning board approval, but did not go ahead because it was deemed cost-prohibitive.
With initial residential reaction to the potential hardware store being mostly negative, previous Mayor Anne Welch said they do not have the authority to approve or deny specific businesses, provided the village zoning code allows their use. New Mayor Dan Cota has been conducting a comprehensive review of the three Ellicott Development properties at 760, 780, and 790 Center St., which have been mostly vacant since their 2021 opening.