Expansion Plans filed for Milton Plaza

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

The Hannaford Plaza is already a commerce center for Milton, but plans are in the works that would more than double retail space in that area.

The Pomerleau Real Estate company, which owns the plaza, has filed sketch plans with the town for establishment of a 46,909 square-foot Hannaford Supermarket just south of the current facility.

A call to Hannaford's corporate office in Maine confirmed the company wants a larger presence in Milton.

"We're relocating to a larger space because we see great potential in the marketplace," said company representative Rebecca Howes. "We'd like to expand some of our signature departments and give customers an improved offering."

Plaza owner Ernie Pomerleau said the Hannaford expansion will anchor a larger growth plan for the area. Current specs call for approximately 50,000 square-feet of unspecified new retail space just south of the new supermarket that would effectively link the McDonalds and Hannaford plazas. The plan also shows an unspecified restaurant and bank alongside Route 7 in the southern end of the development.

Though the plaza has been expanded several times since it was established in 1972, owner Pomerleau said this latest addition will dramatically expand shopping opportunities in Milton.

“It’s to provide Milton with a substantial amount of new retail that it deserves,” he said. “It’s a large and growing community.”

Though sketch plans are a preliminary step before site plan approval, Pomerleau’s ideal timeline had the new plaza becoming operational next fall—though he acknowledged that would hinge on the speed of state permitting. They plan to break ground next year in any event, he added.

If the expansion moves forward, it would have a domino effect on a couple of local businesses. The new supermarket parking lot is slated for the area that currently houses the Minor Funeral Home, and that business is projected as moving south down Route 7 to the current Barsalow Insurance Company, where a larger, state-of-the-art facility would be established, said Pomerleau.

Speaking on behalf of the family business, Steve Minor confirmed there was an agreement in principal for the sale, but declined to offer further details, saying the “fine print” was still being finalized.

A call to Barsalow Insurance seeking comment was not returned.

Besides establishing new retail space, the expansion would also make the current 31,500-square-foot Hannaford building available. Pomerleau said there’s been inquiries into the current supermarket facility, but no commitments as of yet.

Instead, Pomerleau said the focus has been working with the town and an array of consultants to ensure the project works for both the proponent and the town. He described the expansion as two years in the making, saying much of that time has been spent discussing local desire for a larger supermarket and addressing technical Regina Mahoney confirmed that the project concept conforms to the town’s goal of expanding retail off the Route 7 in that area

“It’s a great opportunity,” she said “It’s a pretty key part of the downtown business district and it’s an opportunity to get it done correctly.”

A major question that’s already surfaced is providing access to the new development; while it will be accessible from the current plaza entrance and Haydenberry Drive, another primary entrance off Route 7 would be required.

There are currently two proposals for providing that access: one would put the entrance across the road from Center Drive at its junction with Route 7, while the other would eliminate the Route 7/Middle Road/Railroad Street triangle and replace it with a spur off Middle Road and a four way intersection located roughly between the present Minor location and the Post Office.

At this point those options are being vetted by transportation experts, said Mahoney. Either would require another traffic light on Route 7 and, while the latter solution is more complicated (it would involve reaching agreement with a private property owner), it would have the highly desirable effect of fixing the unusual and dangerous triangle, she said.

“The town would really appreciate help fixing this intersection,” she said.

Pomerleau expressed support for that measure, saying the intersection needs to be fixed at some point. While there’s no commitment in place for that, he said “serious discussions” have taken place on that topic

In any event, Pomerleau was optimistic about the project, saying his company and the town have worked well together to date.

“The town of Milton has been extraordinarily supportive,” he said. “The bottom line is, I think this is something the town of Milton has looked forward to for some time.”