FARMINGTON — Plans to renovate the former Rite Aid building into a Tire Warehouse and open a small, historic pub on Main Street will come before the Planning Board at 6 p.m. Monday, July 13, at the Municipal Building.

The building has been empty since Rite Aid moved to the Intervale in 2008.

Monro Muffler Brake Inc. is seeking to renovate the building at 131 Wilton Road into a Tire Warehouse, George Jarrett, director of development, said.

With Tire Warehouses locations throughout New England, the company has been looking at the local market for awhile, he said. 

“We believe we have a service to provide for the community,” he said.

The company plans to lease the building and create six bays along the east side, a sales area and storage for about 3,000 tires, he said.

“We like to fill a customer’s demand,” he said. “They come in and they want a set of tires that day. Ninety percent of the time, we’ll have the tires they want available.”

Jarrett said he expects the planning, permitting and construction process to take between six and nine months with an anticipated opening early next year, he said.

Store hours will be determined according to local demand. He expects the company-owned-and-operated store to employ about 6 to 10 employees.

While the building is in a Village Business District where auto sales and repair is not allowed, the plan defaults to being retail and service, a use that is allowed, Steve Kaiser, code enforcement officer, said.

There will be tire sales, balancing, mounting and alignments done in the bays but no other general repair work, he said.

Monro Muffler Brake Inc. is a chain of over 1,000 company-operated car care centers, according to its website. It is based in Rochester, N.Y., and was started in 1957, Jarrett said.

A pub named for Cyrus Tuck who built at what is now 160 Main St. around 1850 is also on the agenda. Nathan Morin and Nathan Paling seek to open “Tuck’s Ale House” by mid-August.

“We want to create an historic downtown pub and want to incorporate Farmington’s history into the building and decor,” Morin said. “We want it to be a good, friendly place to have a drink and be a different option in town.”  

Morin anticipates the space will seat around 50. They plan to offer local beers and some food, he said.  There is no kitchen but some local steamed hot dogs, sausages and frozen meals called “Hotties” created by the local Marble Family Farms will be offered, he said.  

Their mission, according to the application, is to create “a low-pressure bar with a classy look and a down-to-Earth feel.”

The business partners have purchased the building, which is between Shiretown Insurance and Enchanted Herbs and Botanicals. They have put in handicap-accessible bathrooms and an office on the first floor and are renovating an upstairs apartment, Morin said.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net