Lowe's picks Brewer site for new store
Home-improvement outlet to hire up to 200 employees
Friday, April 28, 2006

City leaders are putting an end to nearly two years of scuttlebutt about Lowe's Home Centers Inc.'s interest in opening a retail store in the city: The news is true.

Lowe's, a build-it-yourself home-improvement company with more than 1,250 stores nationwide, has applied for state permits and submitted a site plan application to the city to build a new store on outer Wilson Street where the closed Agway and Pickard's Sport Shop are located.

The multimillion-dollar store is expected to create as many as 200 jobs, 80 percent of them full-time, according to store officials.

"This is obviously wonderful news for the city of Brewer," City Manager Steve Bost said Thursday, adding, "I cannot tell you the number of times I have been approached about this project."

The retailer is proposing a 139,410-square-foot store and an additional 31,659-square-foot garden center.

"We're looking at a fairly large building," City Planner Linda Johns said Thursday.

No cost estimate is available for the project, though it has been estimated to be in the millions. Other new Lowe's stores opening this year in other parts of the country are costing as much as $18.5 million.

Entry into the 19.3-acre site will be gained at the new traffic light on outer Wilson Street, just before Interstate 395, at the street's junction with the northern end of Dirigo Drive.

Lowe's first approached the city in December 2004 and is expected to submit a major site plan for the project within the next two weeks, Johns said.

"It's been a long journey," she said. "I think it will be a nice addition to Brewer and this area. It's nice to be able to tell people."

Letters to property abutters were sent out Tuesday. The company will hold a public information meeting at 7 p.m. May 8 at the Brewer Auditorium to describe the project to residents and answer questions.

Todd Morey, Lowe's site development manager for the New England region, said the company still has a lot of work ahead, but if all goes as planned, the store could open within a year.

"We'd like to break ground this fall, and that would place a store opening sometime in mid- to late spring next year," he said. "Typically, employees in those size stores is 175 to 200 people. Up to 80 percent will be full-time."

A site location development permit from the state's Department of Environmental Protection and a natural resources permit are in the works, he added.

The company has worked with the city to make the massive box store as attractive as possible, Morey said.

"We've added a couple different architectural treatments, a different roof canopy and ... one side of the building will have a glass feature on the wall," the Lowe's official said. "We're trying not to make it look like a warehouse."

The typical blue-gray color scheme for Lowe's stores will be modified to a blue-beige mix, Morey added.

There are Lowe's stores in Auburn, Brunswick, Windham and Portland, and three others under construction in Biddeford, Scarborough and Presque Isle.

A Lowe's also is planned for Route 1 on the Rockland-Thomaston line.

Plans for the Brewer store are similar to Portland's store.

"It's roughly the same size, and the footprint isn't much different, but it's 1,000 square feet larger," Morey said.

Asked whether the Brewer location was chosen to gain market entry in both the Brewer-Bangor area and Ellsworth, Morey declined to answer.

Lowe's operates in 49 states, and the company opened 150 new stores in fiscal year 2005 and plans to open another 155 stores this year with another 150 to 160 stores in 2007, according to its Web site.

While the news for Brewer is good, there are several bridges to be crossed before the project is final, D'arcy Main-Boyington, Brewer's economic development director, said Thursday.

"I'm thrilled they're looking at us ... that we can attract a store of that caliber," she said. "This is a huge deal for the city. It's something we're very excited about."

The store is expected to spur additional development along Wilson Street.

"It will dramatically change Wilson Street like the Wal-Mart Supercenter did," Main-Boyington said. "It's fantastic for the city from a tax base as well."

Bost pointed out that when Wal-Mart opened a supercenter on outer Wilson Street, several businesses moved to the area.

"It encouraged other businesses to initiate renovations or expansions and new businesses to locate along the corridor," the city manager said.

Mayor Gail Kelly concurred, adding, "It's a great place for them to be. That whole area will continue to grow."

Councilor Larry Doughty called the planned giant retail store a boon for the city.

"It really puts Brewer on the map in a big way," he said. "It's been a rumor for a long time that they were coming. The councilors have been asked and asked."

In the last two years, Kelly estimates she has been approached about the project in excess of 100 times.

"People were talking about it before I got on the council," she said. "It's always been something that was out there."

Councilors were informed that Lowe's would be applying for the state permits earlier this week, but did not find out until Thursday that a public notice was published.

A copyright story from the Bangor Daily News, Friday, April 28, 2006, by Nok-Noi Hauger.