Subway needs variance

By Lisa Williams Ackley

Staff Writer

THIS DRAWING OF A PROPOSED SUBWAY RESTAURANT — in Fryeburg shows a conceptual design of an 1,800-square-foot building that may be constructed on the former NAPA Auto Supply Store site on Main Street, should the proposal receive a variance for insufficient road frontage from the Fryeburg Board of Appeals on April 13.

FRYEBURG — The Fryeburg Zoning Board of Appeals will take up a variance request from the developers of a proposed Subway restaurant to be constructed at the former NAPA Auto Supply Store's vacant lot on Main Street tomorrow night, April 13 at 6 p.m.

Loren Goodridge, doing business as Pine Tree Subs, Inc., who went before the Fryeburg Planning Board on March 27, is proposing to construct an 1,800-square-foot restaurant at the former NAPA site that has stood vacant since a fire destroyed the auto supply store several years ago.

The Subway restaurant would have a paved, 21-car parking lot and a chambered septic system design that is currently being reviewed by the Maine Department of Health & Human Services. There would be two building signs and one sign located on the ground, according to the application.

Project engineer Tom Harmon said he and Goodridge are working with the Maine Department of Transportation for approval. Harmon noted that, because the proposed Subway restaurant site is located near the traffic light at the intersection of Routes 302 and 5/113, they will have to install "a signalized, possibly phased traffic light at the intersection" where the parking access will be. Asked how the number of parking spaces was determined, Goodridge said there is one parking space per table in the restaurant, saying that methodology seems to work at his 16 other restaurants.

There was discussion about the appearance of the building to be constructed, and the planning board then voted to accept the application as complete, and they set a public hearing date of April 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fryeburg Town Office.

Variance needed

It was brought up during the planning board's meeting late last month that the proposed Subway restaurant lot has "insufficient lot frontage," which means the developer must request a variance from the Fryeburg Board of Appeals.

Fryeburg Code Enforcement Officer Katie Haley said April 6 that a minimum of 100 feet of road frontage is required, and the former NAPA lot has road frontage of only 89.64 feet, which is less than the required frontage.

The Fryeburg Board of Appeals set tomorrow night (April 13) at 6 p.m. at the Fryeburg Town Office as the date and time they will hear the variance request.