Applicants for the Mobil service station at 137 Route 101 presented a nonbinding pre-application concept to the Bedford Historic District Commission on Jan. 7, seeking design guidance for a renovation that would convert two existing service bays to retail space and add about 10 feet and roughly 300 square feet for cooler/shelf space.

Grama Engineering's Jeff Merritt and PHB Architects' Paul Borbeau described the property as roughly 0.6 acre with a small, mid-century service building of about 1,600 square feet, two fuel islands, and constrained roadside frontage because of a Route 101 median. The proposal would eliminate the two vehicle repair bays and reconfigure that area as convenience-store retail; a 10-foot western bump-out would house a cooler. Applicants said they do not plan to change the pump canopy or island layout and are not touching underground tanks; they did not present a formal landscaping or lighting plan at this meeting.

Commission members focused discussion on exterior materials, windows, lighting, and the dumpster enclosure  matters squarely within the HDC's purview. Commissioners recommended retaining and matching existing brick where possible or using a close brick veneer match for infill; replacing the existing single-pane metal-framed glazing with thermally efficient storefront glazing; and favoring white trim to relate to local architecture rather than dark, highly modern frames. Several commissioners suggested looking at the recently built Walgreens on Wallace Road as an example of fenestration the commission finds more compatible than the applicants' proposed large uninterrupted panes.

On lighting, applicants said future fixtures would be modern LED, dark-sky compliant, full-cutoff fixtures; commissioners asked for a site photometric plan and said they preferred pole-mounted fixtures and wall fixtures that are scaled to the building and neighboring residential properties. The commission also discussed the dumpster enclosure and asked the applicants to consider brick piers with a wood or painted stockade gate or other durable screening rather than vinyl fencing.

Commissioners asked about additional site features such as EV charging and the placement of ancillary equipment (air pump, satellite dish). Operators and the owner's representative said many site-level technical and regulatory issues (setbacks, wetlands, DOT access and local parking) remain to be resolved by other boards; the applicants said they will return with more detailed landscaping, lighting, and windows when they submit formal plans.

The commission offered no formal vote; members called the presentation helpful and generally supportive of a renovation that preserves the building's brick character while modernizing glazing and lighting. Applicants were advised to return at the formal application stage with a materials palette, photometric lighting study, and a proposed dumpster-enclosure treatment that balances durability and cost.