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Developers propose partial demolition, parking and green space at 570 Stillwater
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Summary
Applicants told the Bangor City planning board they will seek a land development permit to remove part of the former Bangor Bridal building at 570 Stillwater, reconfigure parking, and add front green space while keeping several existing tenants.
Developers told the Bangor City planning board that they will submit a land development permit application to partially demolish the former Bangor Bridal building at 570 Stillwater and rework the site to add parking and a front green space while retaining existing tenants.
The proposal replaces an earlier, previously approved drive‑through restaurant plan that the applicants said is no longer economically feasible. "The previously approved plans right now are something that I'm unable to deliver on," Jordan, an applicant representing the property, said. "What you see in front of you here today is a plan option that would allow us to...revitalize a center that has been underutilized for the past few years." The applicant identified existing tenants including Verizon, GNC, Supercuts and Subway.
City planning staff and the applicants described the current plan as a selective demolition of the former Bangor Bridal space rather than construction of new buildings. "Everything's existing. There's no proposed buildings as part of the project," Josh Klein, a civil engineer with Stonefield Engineering, said, adding the updated plan focuses on maintaining existing access, improving parking efficiency and introducing an open space area in front of the center.
Board members asked about traffic and site access. "One of the challenges as a customer going in and out of that is the blockage of that intersection by traffic," Roger Applegate, a planning board member who said he lives behind the property, said, noting the site's proximity to an interstate on‑ramp and adjacent shopping centers can cause backups. Applicants and staff said the proposal reduces gross leasable area on site and therefore would not add new trip generation that would trigger a Maine Department of Transportation permit or off‑site improvements. The applicants also said a previously proposed cross‑access connection with a neighboring parcel was declined by the adjacent owner during earlier coordination; that owner would need to agree for a new cross‑access to be built.
Applicants estimated the center totals roughly 15,000 square feet, with roughly 10,000 square feet currently vacant; GNC recently leased about 1,800 square feet. Planning board staff outlined the next procedural step: the applicants must submit an official application, fee and site plan for review. "Right. It'll be your official submission. You've already had your pre‑app meeting with us, and so we'll just need your application and fee and site plan," a city planning staff member said.
No formal vote on the permit was taken at the meeting; staff instructed the applicants on submission requirements and said the project will return to the planning board as a formal application.
