HERMON – A supermarket could open in the village area of town as early as September.

Hermon Holdings LLC approached the town’s planning board Tuesday night, and after some minor changes to the site plan it could receive approval from the town by early March.

Hermon Holdings owner Tom Ellis plans to locate the 28,000-square-foot mini-shopping center at 2402 Route 2. It would include a 23,000 square-foot grocery store with a Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts attached at opposite ends of the complex. The Dunkin’ Donuts would be accessible from inside the grocery store and would include a drive-through window. The Subway would be accessible only from the outside.

The grocery store, which would be owned and operated by Hermon resident Dick Danforth, has been tentatively named the Down Home Supermarket. Blaine Whitney, who is a partner in the Tradewinds Marketplace in Corinth, also is involved with the project.

The preliminary site plan features a building design inspired by Hermon’s rural atmosphere, according to Vinal Applebee, vice president of Ames A/E Architects & Engineers of Bangor. The pitched roof blends with the surrounding residential areas, almost resembling a barn, complete with weathervane, he said.

“We are very active in the community,” Danforth said. “We have a lot of pride out here, and we want the community to be proud of the grocery store we have in Hermon.”

The grocery store is expected to have a full bakery, produce section, fresh seafood, meat shop, bakery, deli and approximately seven checkouts. Danforth hopes to also house a pharmacy in the store, a deal he said he expects to be completed by March. The grocery store alone would provide 50 to 60 new jobs, Danforth said.

The largest concern raised by the board and residents is the development’s effect on Route 2 traffic.

The busiest time of day in the village is between 7 and 8 a.m., said John Theriault, a traffic and highway design engineer for Ames A/E. During that time, 74 percent of traffic is headed toward Bangor, while the busiest hour at night, between 4:30 and 5:30, traffic is headed back toward Hermon’s center.

In order to mitigate traffic, the developer has proposed placing a 100-foot left turning lane in front of the entrance, which would continue all the way down to the high school. Implementing a right-turn lane off Route 2 into the development also was discussed, but not considered a requirement by the traffic engineer.

At least one resident voiced concern about the Dunkin’ Donut drive-through, which in other communities has sent vehicle lines spilling out into main roadways. Theriault reassured the attendees that the proposed Dunkin’ Donuts could queue 11 vehicles before approaching the development’s entrance because of the distance it is set back from the road.

“I’m very impressed with the design and I think it will fit in very well,” said Christopher Reynolds, planning board member.

If the board approves the project at its next meeting in March, it is likely to be under condition the developer also gets permit approvals from the Maine Department of Transportation and the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP permit request already has been filed and Applebee said the DOT permit would be filed today.