Shaw’s gets OK for new Stillwater Avenue store

BANGOR – City councilors unanimously approved Monday night a contract zone change that paves the way for the construction of a Shaw’s Supermarket on Stillwater Avenue.

The proposed 50,000-square-foot store, to be located across the street from the Bangor Parkade shopping center, will replace the Massachusetts-based company’s current store at 46 Springer Drive, off Hogan Road, according to a news release issued by Shaw’s.

The current store, which opened in 1986, will stay open until the new location opens. Construction is slated to begin this fall. The new store is expected to open in 2008.

The new Stillwater Avenue store will debut the company’s newest design format, the “Premium Fresh and Healthy” concept, according to Shaw’s officials.

As a result of the council’s approval, the zoning designation for the nearly 10-acre project site will change from low-density residential to contract shopping and personal service.

Among the conditions of the rezoning are that the parcel be developed to facilitate access by foot, bicycle, public transit and residents with disabilities.

To that end, design elements must include sidewalks from Stillwater Avenue to the parcel’s interior, a bus shelter and a bicycle rack, measures applauded by Councilor Annie Allen.

Councilor Richard Stone commended Bangor attorneys Andy Hamilton and Timothy Woodcock for their roles in moving the project forward.

It is not yet clear what impact the project will have on existing traffic congestion on the busy Stillwater Avenue corridor.

In response to questions from Councilor Geoffrey Gratwick, City Engineer Jim Ring said that won’t become clear until after members of Shaw’s development team complete the traffic study required as part of their application for a state traffic movement permit.

Any required highway improvements would be paid for by the developer.

In other business, the councilors:

. Authorized a consent decree with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Citizens Communications, a former owner of the Bangor Gasworks, for the cleanup of a coal tar deposit in the Penobscot River at Bangor Waterfront. The remediation method to be used in the cleanup has yet to be determined, City Solicitor Norman Heitmann said.

. Recognized Congregation Beth Israel’s efforts to organize a Holocaust Days of Remembrance event at the congregation’s Bangor synagogue. The event, aimed at remembering the Holocaust’s 6 million victims, as well as survivors and their liberators, is set for 3 p.m. April 15.

. Agreed to extend Bangor businessman Larry Springer’s option on a city development parcel on Front Street through June, though it could be extended for two more months if the council determines he is pursuing the project in good faith. Springer’s plan calls for the construction of a 2 1/2-story building at Bangor Waterfront expected to house a restaurant as well as shops and offices.