FARMINGTON — An ice cream shop and a new Asian restaurant are preparing to come to Farmington.

Robert Gardner of Mercer has submitted plans to the Planning Board to develop The Ice Cream Shoppe at 171 Wilton Road.

Gardner proposes to build a 28- by 60-foot building next to Temple Stream to serve ice cream, indoors and out, he said Wednesday. The family business features soft-serve ice cream, 18 flavors, but also serves regular ice cream in their two shops, one in Randolph and the other in Skowhegan.

His plans for the Farmington space include demolishing a garage and two sheds but keeping the house where Melanie Farmer operated her Classic Gallery and Framing. The home  previously was owned by Barbara and Stanton Yeaton.

Renovations are expected for the house. He will look for tenants for an upstairs apartment and a light commercial business downstairs, he said.

Fill will need to be brought in for the new development located 50 feet from Routes 2 and 4 and 85 feet from the stream. Town rules require only 75 feet, Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said.

Gardner plans to clear brush near the Temple Stream bridge and along the stream to add a small picnic area. He also plans to create access to the Whistle Stop Trail from the back of the property.

The shop would be open from mid-March until October, operating seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. he said. The new shop would open next spring.

“My wife went to the University of Maine at Farmington and has always liked the area,” he said. 

They also loved the property next to the water and the potential of 20,000 or more vehicles passing by each day. Their Randolph shop is located on the shores of the Kennebec River, he said.

He plans to blend the new building in with it’s environment, he said.

Acting for Wichai Tatiyanunthaporn, Jack Cahill, also of Mercer, has applied for a site review for the Sweet Ginger Thai Restaurant planning to open at 112 Marceau Court in downtown Farmington.

Although it’s named a Thai restaurant, a Winslow couple plan to serve some Korean, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese dishes from the proposed new downtown restaurant.

The site in Marceau Court is accessible from Main Street and the town parking lot, Cahill said. As a friend of the couple, he hopes to help them open the business by  Sept. 1.

They owned a Thai restaurant in Waterville but sold it, he said. Last year they traveled around the country working in various restaurants learning how and what kinds of food were offered, he said.

They came back to Maine and drove around the area. They liked Farmington and he helped secure the downtown property formerly rented by Black Bear Graphics and owned by William Marceau, he said. They’ve signed a five-year lease, he said.

Farmington has transformed from a caterpillar to a butterfly, Cahill said of the attention the town has paid towards development.

Both projects will come before the board at 6 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Municipal Building.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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