FARMINGTON — The Planning Board on Monday evening, Jan. 13, approved the application and change of use to develop an Aroma Joe’s drive-through at the former Gifford’s Ice Cream location at 293 Main Street.

At the Planning Board meeting on Monday night, Jan. 13, discussion about traffic flow was discussed prior to approval of an application for Aroma Joe’s. In this photo taken from the application, traffic flow shows entrance and exit will both be from Front Street only at the former Gifford’s Ice Cream location at 293 Main St. in Farmington.  Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

In December, it was reported a franchisee owner had purchased the property and that the Planning Board would review the Aroma Joe’s application at its January meeting.

Gifford’s Ice Cream, which had owned the building announced last August that it was closing permanently. Floods in May and December of 2023 and a fire at its plant in Skowhegan meant resources needed to be balanced and prioritized, according to the company.

“We bought the old Gifford’s building and plan to renovate it, turn it into a coffee shop,” owner Aaron Wiswell said. “It’s pretty straightforward, simple. We are going to redo the building that is there and have a little café and drive-through.”

Planning Board member Michael Guerrette noted the building had been underwater, no mitigation was done afterwards.

“We have gutted it down,” Wiswell said. “It is pretty deceiving from the outside. The floor inside is actually lower than the pavement level outside. We are going to raise the whole thing 18 inches. We plan to cement board the walls.”

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Guerrette  asked about the plan for customer parking in front, given that Main St. is busy.

Wiswell referred to the plan, which is for a café-style facility. “The drive-through is completely segregated at the back, so the only way you can go through to get to Main St. you have to go out the side road, so we don’t jam up any traffic there,” he said. There is a pedestrian crosswalk to cross Main St,. he noted.

Wiswell confirmed the customer parking in front is not part of the drive-through, is for Door Dash and people coming into the café. “The drive-through is the majority of our business, will come in the back and then go out the back out that side road,” he stated.

Those entering from Main St. can go out Main or Front streets, Wiswell said. “The amount of traffic there would be limited to the amount of parking spots,” he noted. “Usually our cafés don’t get a ton of activity. It is the drive-through.”

“I know it’s popular right there for baseball games, people crossing the street, so you might get foot traffic from there,” Guerrette said.

“That is the hope, that people will use the café,” Wiswell said.

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Planning Board member Clayton King was pleased with how the drive-through was laid out, with limited parking in front. He asked if the outside of the building was going to be changed.

It will be re-sided, the trim redone, Wiswell said. “It will look a little different,” he stated. “It’s not going to be anything wild, It’s just going to be our typical white and gray. Basically we are going to keep the exact characteristics that are there with a little overhang and all that stuff. We are going to put a channel letter sign on the bottom.”

Board member Mike Otley asked about indoor seating, was told there would be a bar top with four seats, one table with six seats around it and three individual chairs for a total of 13.

Otley expressed concern about coming out of the drive-through, asked if there would be raised curbing.

Wiswell said there would be raised curbing to push cars back from the stop sign.

Guerrette asked why Aroma Joe’s was considered a change of use.

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Code Officer Steve Kaiser said a drive-through is considered a separate item in the table of uses of the town’s Zoning Ordinance.

Jaqueline Sylvester later in the meeting asked if Aroma Joe’s already had the DOT permit. Code Assistant Kate Foster said it was grandfathered.

Jaqueline and Chasya Sylvester were concerned with the amount of traffic already there with McDonald’s. “I just feel it’s chaotic over there,” Chasya said.

Kaiser said the public works director had worked with the owner, there were no new road openings.

The women were given copies of the application.

“Our citizens should be concerned and participate,” Guerrette said.

Farmington Planning Board on Monday evening, Jan. 13, approve a slight reduction in size for the proposed ConvenientMD medical facility planned at 118 Knowlton Corner Road, next to Pizza Hut. The board was also told approval was given to remove the paved strip along Wilton Road, seen in this Google Maps screen capture, and create a landscaped area, in part to prevent parking there.  Google maps screen capture

In other business, the board approved an amendment to the building size of the proposed ConvenientMD medical facility at 118 Knowlton Corner Road, next to Pizza Hut.

In September the Planning Board approved the application for the facility.

It’s going from 5,310 square footage down to 5,156 square feet, Kaiser said. “It’s a change, there may be more,” he noted. He stated the engineer had called for permission to remove a small strip of paved area by Wilton Road left from another project and landscape it. Kaiser said he gave permission, it would keep people from parking there.

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