Richard Avery bought the Sands Building, center, on Lisbon Street in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
This week the Buzz is building and buying, with a side of sweltering.
A Blue Hill couple have bought the Sands Building at 124 Lisbon St., making it their first investment purchase in a commercial property.
Richard Avery said he was “definitely interested in a more downtown setting, just because I like them.”
“Lewiston’s pretty affordable,” he added. “‘Potential’ is an overused word,” but, he sees that, too.
Androvise Realty and the Bean Group brokered the sale. The building has three commercial floors, each 4,300 square feet.
“The first and second floor have been rented and I’m about to rent the third floor commercially,” Avery said Tuesday. “It was previously owned by TD Bank North and somebody, I assume them, put a serious investment in it. It’s in good shape, actually. Basically it’s move-in ready.”
The Democratic Party is leasing out the bottom floor through November.
After that, “I’m considering making that space available for small ‘pop-ups,’ especially during the Christmas season, tie-in with whatever the Downtown Association does,” he said.
Beverage expansion
Valley Beverage at 2019 Lisbon St. in Lewiston, pictured earlier this fall, is planning a $3.7 million warehouse expansion. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file photo Buy this Photo
The Lewiston Planning Board approved Valley Beverage’s plans last week for a 33,000-square-foot expansion. The vote was unanimous, according to City Planner Doug Greene.
The City Council approved a tax increment financing agreement with Valley Beverage for a gradual $3.7 million expansion earlier this year at 2019 Lisbon St.
The expansion will be added to its 83,512-square-foot warehouse “and is intended to provide additional storage space to meet the current needs of the business,” according to the application by engineers Sitelines.
Sitelines said it will cost an estimated $700,000 “for construction of the site improvements, building utilities and stormwater management.”
New high school is a go
After three hours of discussion and public hearing, the Auburn Planning Board approved the $122 million Edward Little High School by a 6-0 vote, according to Eric Cousens, deputy director of economic and community development.
“Some pedestrian path adjustments and a few conditions to address stormwater and traffic questions were part of the approval, but they were unanimous,” he added.
The project is expected to be finished in the summer of 2023, when the current high school will come down.
And, coming soon?
Development staff on both sides of the river are teasing that cool happenings could be ahead in the next few months.
Anything cool sounds amazing right now.
Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
