The Auburn Planning Board on Tuesday a proposal to build two structures, likely a medical office and a food business, at the intersection of Standart Avenue and North Street.
The structures, each about 6,000 square feet, would form a new commercial center called North Pointe Commons at 197-199 North St.,聽Grant Kyle of property owner North Brook Farms told the board.聽
"We think the timing's right for new commercial on North Street with Micron coming through and North Street being the main thoroughfare out of town that's going to take people to that," Kyle said.聽
The center would have 74 parking spaces, and its south structure would have a drive-thru. That would make that structure ideal for a food business, Kyle said, as would the small number of such businesses in the area despite large employers like Nucor Steel and Auburn Community Hospital being located nearby. Kyle added that he has spoken to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, which sought to open a restaurant on Grant Avenue last year before the development was canceled, but the chain is not interested. Kyle also said he is waiting until the site plan is approved to pursue lessees more actively.
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The north structure could be ideal for a doctor's office, Kyle continued, due in part to the $15 million cancer treatment center the hospital plans to聽open down the street in 2024.
In response to a question from the board, architect Jill Fudo said drivers on Standart Avenue would聽be able to proceed directly into the new center, making the intersection four-way. The Department of Transportation, which has approved the site plan, will require North Brook Farms to install new camera technology that controls the light at the intersection in response to traffic, rather than a timer.
"The technology that they're using there will improve the performance of that intersection as a whole," city Deputy Director of Planning & Development Stephen Selvek said.
Before the board tabled the site plan proposal for a vote at its next meeting in March, Selvek raised a few "minor concerns." First, should a food business lease the south structure, the board would likely have to review plans like menu boards, intercoms, signage and lane striping, he told Kyle. Second, Selvek asked that the plantings proposed for the south property line, which borders an apartment building, be mature as possible so as to provide the most sound buffering. Third, Selvek said the board would have to review the state's archaeological consultation before its next meeting.
There were no public comments on the proposal at the meeting Tuesday night.
The 2.13-acre 197-199 North St. property, which is currently vacant, was most recently Jam-O's Car Wash. It was at one point slated to become the site of Prison City Brewing's urban farm facility, which eventually was built about a quarter-mile north on the same street. The center would join a portfolio of commercial properties for Kyle and his family that also includes the Nolan Block downtown.
"We've maximized the most we can out of this property to bring it back to life," Kyle said.
Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter .