FARMINGTON – Lowe’s Home Centers Inc. has called off preliminary plans to build a retail store and warehouse on a portion of the McLeery Farm on Whittier Road and Route 4, Farmington Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said Friday.

Last December, company representatives had presented preliminary plans that included a 138,893-square-foot store and warehouse with 400 parking spaces to be built on about 17 acres.

Kaiser said he was notified of the decision three or four weeks ago. Lowe’s has been looking at Farmington as a secondary market for several years, even before The Home Depot considered building a store but eventually dropped those plans, near Mount Blue Shopping Center in 2005, Kaiser said.

Lowe’s decision is based on the current economic situation around the world, he said.

The company does not want to raise false hopes, he said, and they’re adjusting to what’s going on.

“I’m thankful for all the small businesses we have. I hope they hang in there tough,” Kaiser said.

The real estate process can be lengthy and sometimes complex, Lowe’s spokeswoman Maureen Rich said.

“Our policy is not to comment about specific sites Lowe’s may be considering unless we have closed on all real estate matters, she said. “We have not closed on property in Farmington, Maine.”

Lowe’s recently announced plans to open 60 to 70 new stores in North America in 2009, and in the last quarter alone, Lowe’s opened 33 stores, she said.